


5 Rules for Total Domination

by Kyuubiluver342



Category: Promare (2019)
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Death, Handcuffs, Hostage Situations, Humiliation, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Kidnapping, M/M, Minor Character Death, Murder, Rape/Non-con Elements, Sexual Violence, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-18
Updated: 2019-12-21
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:35:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 2
Words: 31,829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21843046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kyuubiluver342/pseuds/Kyuubiluver342
Summary: Galo was just gone. Disappeared like smoke in the wind. Kray is free somewhere in the city and he has Galo. Lio and the team are tracking him down, but are they already too late?
Relationships: Kray Foresight/Galo Thymos, Lio Fotia/Galo Thymos
Comments: 15
Kudos: 210





	1. Like Smoke

Lio stuttered awake, body shaking, mind barely clinging to sanity. There was a harsh part of him that wished he was dead, that he was no longer alive or at least conscious for this part. He shivered, the cold of space seeping in despite the heat of the promare. He looked outside his cage and had to hold back a growl. Kray was watching him, sitting on his twist throne of metal and broken pieces of the ship.

“Good morning, Lio Fortia. I hope you slept well.” he said coldly.

On his one hand, his head rested, watching Lio with his burning red eyes. The other hand was curled in the hair of his pet. Lio refused to look down, refused to stare at the man by Kray’s feet. It hurt too much to look at him.

“We are almost there, you know. Soon, we will arrive at our new home planet. Isn’t that wonderful?” Kray continued, not bothering to wait for Lio’s answer.

Lio sneered. He had been saying that for months now. Lio was pretty sure he had no idea where they were going. Suddenly, Kray’s fist wrapped around the blue strands on his lap and he tugged at the other’s hair, pulled forcefully on his head. Lio’s eyes darted towards him and was crushed him to see empty blue staring back at him.

“Well, Galo? What do you think?” Kray demanded, shaking Galo’s head by his hair.

Galo said nothing. Lio wasn’t even sure if he had the ability to speak anymore after all Kray had done to him. The thought of it made Lio tear up and he hated it. Galo, who had fought for months when they had first been dragged on this nightmare of a trip, had been his only companion. The other Burnish were too far away, though he could still hear their cries echoing throughout the ship, he could not talk with them. So it had just been Galo and he.

Galo had been there, trying to plead with Kray while at the same time keep Lio’s spirits up. He had tried everything to stop Kray from causing more pain and destruction, but in the end, even his burning soul had shattered, leaving little more than a husk for Kray to use.

“Oh? You agree? Good boy, Galo. I am glad you are finally starting to understand.” Kray said when Galo said nothing.

He released the blue hair of his victim, returning to petting them instead. Lio wanted to be sick.

“You can’t honestly believe that, Kray.” Lio said coldly.

Kray looked at him, bored. Lio grit his teeth, wishing with all his heart that he still had some fight left in him. Even if he did, his hands were gone, and he was sure Kray would just beat him into submission, like he had Galo.

“You are so simpleminded, Lio Fortia. You have no idea what kind of planning has gone into this trip. Years of work has all come down to this.” Kray replied coldly.

His hand in Galo’s hair stopped and Lio was distinctly aware that, while Kray couldn’t hurt him since he was basically the powercore for his ship, that hadn’t stopped him from hurting Galo in the past. In fact, Kray had made it a point that every time Lio said or did something he didn’t like, Galo was the one to suffer for it.

“Kray, you can’t tell me the other people aboard this ship are still alive.” Lio replied.

There was no way anyone other than the burnish and the three of them were still alive. The rest of the ship had been destroyed in the fight. He remembered hearing cries from the other passengers on the ship, begging Kray to help them, to free them, that they were dying of starvation and disease when they first set off. Hell, Galo had begged, begged, Kray to let him go down and help them, told him that he could save a few of them, but Kray had ignored him. Those cries had died out by now and now there was only silence.

Lio was still sure that those deaths had been the ones to really shatter Galo. The fact that he had been so close, so fucking close, but could do nothing to save the other 10,000 people on board had destroyed him. Kray knew this, yet still acted like nothing was wrong. Something inside of him had snapped and he was no longer in touch with reality, that much Lio knew for a fact.

He shivered again, watching with dull eyes as more of his arm disappeared. Bit by bit, he was fading away. Eventually, there would be nothing left of him. He closed his eyes...

Lio opened them, letting out a gasp before sitting up. Gone was the pod, the chill of space, Kray’s cruel form, all of it was gone. He woke up in a warm bed, safe and sound. His body shook as he sat there, trying to control his racing heart. He pressed a hand to his own chest, wondering what that was before something started to shriek in his ear.

“Fucking alarm!” Lio snarled when he realized what it was.

He reached out and turned it off, gently rubbing his own eyes as he stood up. The sound of a shower turning off made him smile before he got out of bed.

“Mornin’ Lio!” Galo called when he opened the door, a trail of steam following him.

“Morning, Galo.” Lio replied.

“I saved you some hot water!” Galo said as he walked past Lio, a simple towel covering his dignity.

“I would hope so after last time.” Lio grumbled.

Galo winced as Lio walked into the bathroom and closed the door. His heart was starting to calm down, he felt more stable, but the dream still haunted him. Why? Why after all this time did he still have dreams like that?

As he started to shower, he glanced out the window. The ship was mostly gone, months of hard work and dedication had turned the billion dollar project into little more than scrap metal and parts. Between the Burning Rescue and burnish, they had taken great pride in ripping apart the ship that had once held Kray’s hopes and dreams. Lio especially had gotten a vicious sense of pleasure when he got to smash the control panel with a sledgehammer.

He stepped into the shower and let the hot water fall over him. He liked his showers a lot hotter than most, so Galo had learned to take a shower quickly if he wanted any hot water for his. As he cleaned his body and got ready for the new day, he paused and stared as the water swirled down the drain, disappearing into the darkness below. He swallowed and finished up, getting out just before it turned cold.

“Lio! Hurry up or no breakfast for you!” Galo called through the door and Lio smiled.

“Coming!” he called back.

He dried himself and got changed before coming out. Galo was wearing some ridiculous apron that barely covered his chest and his work pants while holding a plate of pancakes when he entered the kitchen. Lio sat at the counter and Galo handed them over with a smile. One pancake looked like he had tried to make it in the shape of a heart.

“A heart huh? Trying to improve your pancake art?” Lio asked.

“Hey! I have to start making things other than fire trucks, ok? Ignis’ orders!” Galo replied hotly.

Lio snorted and almost choked on his pancakes. Galo ended up giving him a strong slap on the back to help him dislodge it.

“And that is what you get for laughing at me!” Galo replied after making sure he was ok. 

Lio chewed his pancakes slowly, enjoying the warmth as he watched Galo make a few for himself. Galo turned, eyes bright and smile beaming when…

_ Dead, empty blue eyes stared back at him. Gone was the joy and hope, all that was left was despair. _

“Lio? Lio are you ok?” Galo’s voice called him back to the present and he quickly looked at Galo.

“Huh, oh sorry. I umm got distracted. What did you say?” Lio stated.

Galo sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

“I have to go to city hall today. Something about clearing up some loose ends with… Kray. I’ll probably be there most of the day, but I’ll see if I can get out for lunch!” Galo said smiling.

Kray. Just the thought made Lio’s stomach twist in knots. He didn’t like it, didn’t want Galo anywhere near Kray or his stuff, but Lio had no choice.

“I see. Do you want me to come?” Lio asked.

“Nope! It’s fine, they just want me to help them sort some stuff. Apparently, Biar is refusing to help.” Galo sighed.

“Oh.” Lio shoved a piece of pancake in his mouth, not sure what to make of that sentence.

They finished breakfast and Galo got up to go when Lio noticed something in his back pocket.

“What’s this?” Lio said taking it.

Galo immediately tried to reach for it, but Lio held him back with ease. It was a picture of Lio and his general eating pizza with Galo and his team. Lio stared at it. It must have been taken secretly because no one was looking at the camera and Lio smiled.

“It’s my good luck charm! I keep it on me to remind me that the bad times are temporary! I know it’s silly, but…” Galo was cut off.

“It’s not silly. It’s… sweet. I wish I had one.” Lio said handing it back.

Galo perked up.

“I can get you one! Lucia took it! I’m sure she has copies!” Galo said.

Galo glanced up and gasped.

“I’m gonna be late! Bye Lio!” Galo pecked him on the cheek and was out the door in a flash.

Lio sat there, staring for a while before touching his cheek. A soft lip graced his lips and Lio sighed.

“Bye Galo.” Lio muttered.

Lio got his stuff together and decided to head over to the site, making sure to meet up with Ignis to get an idea of where they were going to start today.

“I think the north end is our focus for the next few days. It took a lot of damage in the fight, so that should make the clean up easier.” Ignis stated.

“Agreed. Hopefully most of it is in big pieces and we can handle it quickly.” Lio replied.

Ignis looked around with a frown.

“Where’s Galo?” Ignis asked.

Lio paused.

“He told me he was asked to stop by city hall today. To help with Kray’s belongings.” Lio said confused.

Ignis huffed.

“That doesn’t make sense. If he was asked, I would have heard about it first.” Ignis stated.

A chill went up Lio’s spine and he straightened up, looking away from the map on the table.

“He told me he would be there this morning. I thought he had heard it from you.” Lio explained.

Ignis shook his head before turning.

“Remi!” he barked.

Remi peeked his head into the tent, startled.

“Yes?” he asked.

“You tell Galo to go over to city hall today?” Ignis demanded.

“No, I didn’t know anything about that. Why?” Remi asked.

Lio was starting to get a bad feeling. He took out his phone and dialled Galo.

Galo sat in the back of the black car, humming lightly to a tone on the radio. The car had picked him up outside his apartment and they had been driving for almost twenty minutes. Admittedly, Galo was a little confused since it seemed like they were heading away from where the temporary city hall had been set up, but Galo shrugged it off.

The driver, some guy Galo had never seen before, said nothing the whole time they drove and it was starting to get on Galo’s nerves. His foot tapped nervously as he sat there.

“So, do you know who I’m meeting with?” Galo asked curiously.

Nothing. Not even a twitch. Galo frowned.

“I mean I got the email from the assistant mayor, but it didn’t have a lot of information, you know?” Galo tried again.

Nothing and Galo huffed.

“Ok, do you have any idea where we are going then? I mean, this is nowhere near city hall.” Galo demanded.

The car stopped and for a moment, Galo wondered if they had arrived, but as the door opened, Galo came meet the eyes of a man he never wanted to see again.

“Vulcan?” he whispered in shock as Vulcan squeezed himself into the car, another guard following after him.

“Been a long time, huh Burning Rescue brat?” Vulcan said.

Gone was the huge Freeze Force armor, but he was still decked out alongside the guard beside him. Galo swallowed as the guard’s gun was trained on him, scowling.

“What’s going on! How did you get free!” Galo demanded as the car started to drive off.

A foot slammed into his chest and he coughed violently, curling into himself. His hair was grabbed and he was forced to come face to face with Vulcan’s cruel smile.

“Despite what you morons think, the Freeze Force still has a lot of power in this city. So while you all have been running around like ants, we’ve been working behind the scenes! Gathering our forces!” Vulcan grinned and Galo resisted the urge to hit him.

“So you assholes can’t just go away, huh? What’s the big plan this time?” Galo demanded.

Vulcan shoved him back and Galo was distinctly aware of two things. One, his phone has fallen out of his pocket and it was buzzing and two, he was in a lot of trouble.

“Oh? Looks like someone is calling you, huh?” Vulcan grabbed the phone and held it, eyeing the screen.

Even from where he was, Galo knew who was calling him on the ringtone alone. Lio was on the phone.

“Ohhh, well well well. Firebug huh? Looks like someone’s getting it in with the Mad Burnish leader. Don’t worry, I’ll tell him you’re busy.” Vulcan opened the window and tossed the phone out, much to Galo’s anger.

“Hey!” Galo snapped.

“Now that he’s taken care of.” Vulcan reached out and before Galo can fight, his hands were cuffed and he was trapped.

“Fuck.” Galo muttered.

Lio frowned and looked at his phone. There was no answer. That wasn’t like Galo.

“Something is wrong.” Lio stated as he looked at Ignis.

Ignis hummed and crossed his arms.

“We can’t assume anything. Let me make a few calls.” Ignis said as he walked off.

Lio was left standing there, feeling tense and nervous. Gueira and Meis showed up a little while later, looking ready to work. Lio and Ignis are always first on the scene with Galo, so they don’t even realize something was wrong.

“What’s going on?” Meis asked.

“Yeah, are we starting soon or what?” Gueira asked.

Lio bit his thumbnail as the Burning Rescue team arrived on scene as well.

“What section are we starting on?” Lucia asked as she looked over the map.

“No section. I just called city hall. They don’t have anything scheduled for Galo to stop by there today.” Ignis said as he stormed into the tent.

“Galo? City hall? What are you talking about?” Aina asked.

Lio felt his world start to narrow.

“He told me himself that he was supposed to go help with Kray’s belongings today.” Lio snapped.

“That’s the thing. All of Kray’s ‘belongings’? They’re gone. Stolen a few days ago.” Ignis stated.

Lio let out a shuddering breath and had to sit down. Meis placed a hand on his shoulder and Gueira was growling.

“I’ll track his phone.” Lucia said quickly, already pulling her tablet out of nowhere.

“I’ll get my plane, maybe see if he’s somewhere nearby.” Aina said before racing off.

“Everyone else, I want all hands on deck. Get me security and tell them to start asking around.” Ignis declared.

Varys and Remi saluted before running off and Lio was left with the sinking feeling they were already too late.

Galo watched as the car pulled up in front of a warehouse and swallowed. Vulcan got out first and Galo was forced out next, the guard right behind him. Galo was forced into the building, watching as the car drove away from the corner of his eye.

“Welcome, Burning Rescue boy! To the Freeze Force’s new base!” Vulcan said, waving his arms around.

Galo glanced around and snickered. The warehouse had a few modifications, but it certainly was not as grand as their last base.

“A real step down from your last base, huh?” Galo said amused.

Vulcan’s smile dropped and he grabbed Galo by the chin, dragging him upwards to his tippy toes to look Vulcan in the eyes.

“And we have you to thank for that. You and your burnish bitch.” Vulcan sneered.

“Hey, if anyone is the bitch here, it’s you!” Galo snapped angrily.

A sharp cough cut off whatever Vulcan was going to say next. He turned his head and Galo frowned before he was suddenly dropped. Galo stumbled and fell, reaching up with his hands to touch his chin and throat.

“Asshole.” Galo hissed.

“Really, Galo. I expected better from you.” a voice called.

Galo froze, his whole body going numb as he turned his head. From the darkness, a single man stepped forward, his bright orange jumpsuit looked so wrong on his form. Galo sucked in a breath and felt almost light headed.

“Foresight Sir.” Vulcan said saluting.

Kray stepped before them and nodded to Vulcan, who relaxed and took a step back. Galo knelt there, feeling like his brain was about to explode.

“How did you get out?” Galo demanded.

Kray hummed and shifted slightly, causing Galo to note that his other arm was still missing. Galo wasn’t sure how to feel about that.

“Despite what you think, I still have many supporters. Those who still believe I had the right idea.” Kray stated simply.

“You killed people, Kray. Innocent people.” Galo said.

Kray hummed and looked at Vulcan.

“A moment if you would?” he said, though it wasn’t a question

Vulcan scowled.

“We’ll be outside if you need us.” he said.

He shot Galo a dark look before leaving while Galo followed him with his eyes. When the door slammed shut, Galo realized he was alone with Kray and swallowed. He turned back to Kray, only to realize Kray was now kneeling before him. Kray cupped Galo’s chin and moved his head from side to side.

“I see Vulcan got a little physical with you already. I do apologize for him.” Kray said calmly and Galo pulled back.

“What is this about, Kray?” Galo demanded.

Kray hummed again and got up. As his shadow loomed over Galo’s figure, Galo scowled and shot to his feet, refusing to be intimidated. 

“Is it really so shocking to you that I broke out?” Kray asked curiously.

He didn’t bother to hide his eyes, his red bore into Galo’s blue. 

“You lost, Kray. You’re plan failed and now everyone knows what kind of man you are. There’s nowhere in this city you can hide.” Galo replied.

Kray nodded as he started to move and Galo followed him with his head as Kray circled him.

“So you say. I think you will find people are more than willing to look past those kinds of things if an opportunity is offered to them.” Kray explained.

“What could you possibly have to offer people? You crushed half of the city, hurt and maimed hundreds of people and nearly destroyed the Earth! What could you possibly have to offer anyone!” Galo demanded.

Kray stopped behind him and placed his hand on Galo’s shoulder, squeezing gently. Galo swallowed and tried not to let it affect him, but it was hard.

“It is not what I currently have to offer, it’s what I can offer in the future. People, you will find, are a lot like dogs, Galo. Once you have them trained, it is very, very hard for them to break free.” Kray said calmly.

Galo snarled and pulled away from him.

“I am not your dog, Kray!” Galo snapped.

Kray stared him down before stepping into Galo’s space.

“You are right. A good dog would never snap at the hand that feeds it.” Kray explained.

He grabbed Galo and slammed him against the pillar behind him.

“Which just means I was too lenient in training you. Do not worry. I have learned from my past mistakes. When I am done with you, you will never think about going against me again.” Kray whispered coldly.

Galo shoved him back and took off when Kray stumbled. He had to escape! He darted into the darkness, hoping to find a back door or another way out.

“Galo, enough of that now. You won’t find another way out.” Kray called.

Galo ducked behind some machinery and struggled with the handcuffs. He knew there was a way to get them off, he had studied it after all. Handcuffs were often an issue when dealing with victims of kidnapping and abuse. He managed to find a link that was slightly weaker than the others and broke it.

“Score.” he hissed.

Now that the cuffs were just more like bracelets, he could focus on getting out.

“Galo. Surely, you don’t believe we are foolish enough to let you escape?” Kray’s voice seemed to echo all around him and before Galo can move, an arm slid around his neck and held him tight.

Galo choked, struggling to escape, but Kray has a good fifty pounds on him and Galo can’t get a good enough grip to get him off.

“Now, I think it’s time for you to get some sleep. We will speak again when you have calmed down.” Dark spots started to appear in Galo’s eyes and his struggles weakened.

His hands went limp and his eyes started to close.

“K-Kray.” Galo whispered.

When Kray was sure Galo was unconscious, he released him and let the man fall to the floor. Straightening back up, he fixed his hair.

“Vulcan.” he called.

Vulcan came from the darkness and saluted.

“Put him in the car. We will be moving soon.” Kray stated as he turned on his heel.

His hand behind his back, Kray disappeared into the warehouse and Vulcan sneered before picking Galo up and throwing him over his shoulder.

“I found Galo’s phone. It’s at the corner of West and Smith.” Lucia said into the headset.

“I’m flying over that area right now. I don’t see anything.” Aina replied from the other end.

“I’m on my way. I’ll see if I find anything.” Remi stated from his bike.

“Keep us posted. Anything on the car, Lucia?” Ignis demanded.

“Nothing yet. I lost them at one point and I am trying to find it again.” Lucia replied.

“They went nowhere near the city hall. They took all back roads, most likely.” Lio stated.

Lio was having trouble keeping his head together. Galo was gone, disappeared like smoke in the wind. They knew what car he had gotten into, but the car had taken roads close to where the crash had knocked out the security cameras and they were still working on getting them back online. Whoever had done this had done their homework, they knew what sections of the city were still damaged. Lio wanted to be ill.

The phone rang and Ignis put it on speaker.

“Remi.” Ignis said.

“I found Galo’s phone. It’s smashed. Looks like it was thrown out of the car.” Remi said quickly.

Ignis cursed and slammed his fist on the table.

“Keep looking. Turn over every rock and street in this damn city! I want Galo found!” Ignis demanded.

“Yes sir!” Remi replied before hanging up.

Lio closed his eyes and breathed deeply when Ignis’ phone went off again.

“What?” Ignis demanded.

“I apologize, but is this Ignis Ex?” a man’s voice asked.

“I’m busy. State your name and business.” Ignis growled.

“Sir, I am Marcus Rhodes, the head of security at the prison. I am calling to let you know that Kray Foresight escaped last night.” the man explained.

Ignis’ mouth dropped and Lio’s knees went weak. Lucia pulled his glasses from her head and looked at the phone with wide eyes.

“I’m sorry, but could you fucking repeat that?” Ignis growled.

“Sir, Kray Foresight escaped last night. I am reaching out to you because I have been informed that you have a witness for the Foresight case on your team. Please let him know to be cautious and to report any suspicious behavior to the authorities.” he was cut off.

Ignis slammed his fist on the counter.

“Galo Thymos is missing! Alert the council and find out how the fuck Kray Foresight got out!” Ignis roared. 

He slammed the end call button and looked at Lio. Lio was the same fear in his eyes that Lio felt.

Galo slowly woke up, his head resting on something warm, but hard. For a second, the scent surrounding him lead him to a feeling of safety and comfort, but just as quickly, his brain started to catch up. He had been kidnapped by Vulcan, Kray had escaped, Kray had attacked him, he was in danger. Galo’s eyes snapped open and he tried to move away, but a hand on his head kept him from getting very far.

“Calm yourself, Galo.” Kray’s voice came from his side and Galo glanced over to see he was leaned against Kray’s shoulder, his only arm holding Galo against him.

Galo swallowed hard, eyes taking the time to look around. Vulcan and the other guard were across from him, watching him with cold eyes. Kray was beside him and they were moving in some type of car, the windows tinted and Galo was handcuffed again. These cuffs weren’t the simple ones from before, but the ones used on burnish when they were captured.

“Where are we going?” Galo demanded.

“None of your concern for right now.” Kray replied smoothly and Galo once again went to move his head.

The hand on his head tightened to the point of pain and Galo stopped, eyes narrowing.

“I want to get up. Let me go.” Galo demanded and Vulcan snorted, as if Galo’s demands are funny somehow.

“You will move when I decide you will, Galo. Not a moment before, not a moment after.” Kray said calmly.

Yet, Galo could hear the rage just under the surface. Was that always there and he just hadn’t noticed before? It seemed like it. Galo glanced at the window again, wondering if his legs were long enough to hit it when Kray spoke.

“If you decide to try and irritate me, Galo, I promise you, your punishment will be worse than you could ever possibly imagine.” Kray stated smoothly.

Galo swallowed.

“Why do this, Kray? You could have left the city and been gone before anyone noticed. You are risking more by doing this than just leaving.” Galo asked.

Kray hummed and for a moment, the grip on his head lessened and Kray was actually stroking his hair. His chest went all warm and fuzzy, only Lio has ever touched his hair like this and immediately his body knew to respond. It melted against Kray’s, but Galo tried to shake it off.

“Stop.” Galo demanded and Kray just hummed.

“Sir, we are about five minutes out.” Vulcan said, reminding Galo that he was there and Galo felt a little embarrassed, but mostly he just wanted to kick the smug look off the other man’s face.

“Good. No problems so far?” Kray demanded and Galo wondered what that meant.

“The team is keeping a close eye on the Burning Rescue. So far, they are busy chasing shadows.” Vulcan’s smile somehow got bigger and Galo’s heart was pounding.

“Leave them out of this, Kray. They have nothing to do with this.” Galo growled.

There was a moment where everything went extremely quiet. Vulcan’s smile was gone in an instant and he actually had a look of fear on his face and that’s all the warning Galo got before his hair was grabbed in a tight fist. It was so tight, Galo’s eyes watered without his permission and Galo bit his lip to keep a yell from escaping him. His head was yanked around and he was staring into Kray’s burning eyes.

They seem to drown him in their fiery pools and Galo has never met a fire he didn’t want to put out, but the fire he was staring into made him want to run away. He swallowed hard.

“That is enough from you, Galo. Another word and your tongue will be removed.” Kray growled.

Galo scowled back and tried to pull against the grip in his hair.

“Fuck you.” Galo hissed.

A sharp breath made him glance over and he was pleased to see Vulcan looking very, very pale. The man was actually leaning back in his seat, as if leaning away from Kray and Galo. Galo turned his attention back to Kray and can see the rage boiling there.

“I see.” Kray replied simply.

Galo waited, wondering what Kray would do next when his hair was released. He sat in the seat, feeling a bit of concern, but kept his eyes locked on Kray’s. He really should have been watching his hand instead. Something pressed against his side and he only had a chance to look down before his body jerked. His eyes widen as the taser in Kray’s hand ripped through him and he cried out.

When it stopped, he slipped off the seat and onto the car floor, trembling as his eyes watered.

“There we go, I do believe that will keep you quiet for a few minutes.” Kray said calmly.

Galo grit his teeth and looked at Kray from the corner of his eye.

“Fuck… you.” Galo hissed again.

Kray hummed. He moved the taser to Galo’s shoulder and pressed it against his skin. Galo’s body jerked again, his mouth dropping in a silent cry of pain before it was over and he slumped completely to the floor of the car. He was panting heavily, body shaking and nerves shot. His brain was starting to shut down, making it hard for Galo to stay conscious. Kray leaned in and rested his head on his hand, the taser now sitting on his lap.

“Now that we have that settled. Vulcan?” Kray said.

He never looked away from Galo’s trembling form. Vulcan sat up a bit, saluting.

“Sir?” Vulcan replied.

“Understand this, Galo is under strict training right now. I want no one, not even you, to go anywhere near him. Do I make myself perfectly clear?” Kray demanded.

“Yes, Sir.” Vulcan replied.

“Good. Rest up a bit, Galo. You will need it.” Kray stated, leaning back in his seat.

That’s the last thing Galo heard before he slipped under.

Galo has been missing for six hours. Six hours that feel like an eternity to Lio. They are no closer to finding him, no closer to learning where Galo has gone and no closer to figuring out how Kray escaped. The car Lucia was tracking was a fake, a decoy said the driver when Remi and Varys finally catch up to him. 

The real car, the only that actually picked up Galo, never appeared on any cameras. The driver admitted who hired him though, Vulcan. The man in charge of the once famous Freeze Force. They didn’t even know he escaped. Lio wanted to scream, wanted to burn the whole fucking city to the ground if that meant forcing Kray out of hiding. It is only Meis’ gentle words that keep him from doing just that.

“Boss, we need to be careful. We have no idea how deep his power goes.” Meis said gently.

Lio wanted to pull away, to storm off, to get his own bike and ride after Galo, but Ignis needed him here. Years of tracking Kray’s movements and studying the city to get close to Kray made Lio invaluable right now. He knew Kray, he knew how the man’s mind worked and he knew how to follow the trail Kray left behind.

“I just… don’t know what I am going to do.” Lio whispered.

Lio was staring at the map of the city, desperate for any answers it could give him. There had to be something he had missed. Something he hadn’t thought of. Kray was sneaky, but Lio knew how to hunt him down. Lio will find Kray.

Galo woke up again and he was really sick of waking up in different places. He sat up and looked around, trying to figure out where he was now. It’s a small room, maybe four by four and he was laying on a mattress on the floor. His hands were still cuffed and now his ankle was attached to a long chain connected to the wall.

“This is insane.” Galo muttered and there was a twist of fear in his stomach.

He looked around again and noticed a long chain with a hook hanging from the center of the room. He swallowed hard, wondering what it was for. There was a door at the far end of the room and even though the room was small, he can tell the chain wasn’t going to let him get anywhere near that door.

Galo closed his eyes, breathed deeply and turned his attention to the chain around his ankle. His big obstacle right now was that chain. If he can break it…

Kray tilted his head to the side, idly watching the screen as he sipped his wine. The cameras in Galo’s room gave him a perfect view of every inch of the room and he knew, without really thinking about it, what Galo was trying to do.

“So simple.” he muttered boredly.

Galo was like a dog, a very dumb, but loyal dog. Once you had his loyalty, he would all, but kill for you. Kray knew that for a fact. After all, he had owned Galo’s loyalty for years before any of the nonsense with the burnish happened. He had truly believed nothing could break Galo’s loyalty to him.

The glass cracked a bit and he paused before placing it back on the tray. Yet, that loyalty had been so easily broken by Galo’s good hearted, loving nature. He had seen what Kray was doing and his desire to protect and care for people had won out over his loyalty to Kray. He had even dared to team up with the man trying to take Kray down. Kray was not a man who was willing to play second fiddle.

He stood up, making sure to press the seams out of his new uniform with his only hand before he moved towards Galo’s room. Last time, he had won Galo’s loyalty with kind lies and gentle praises. This time, he would earn Galo’s submission through strict discipline and harsh punishments. Gaslo would bow and Kray would make sure his loyalty was never broken again.

The door opened to Galo’s room and he paused, eyes wide. He had tried to twist the chain around, hoping to find a weak link, but no luck so far. As Kray entered the room and closed the door behind him, Galo scowled.

“Let me go, Kray. This isn’t a joke anymore. You’ve kidnapped a member of the city. This will just add to your sentence!” Galo yelled.

Kray hummed as he walked over to where Galo was. Once again, as Kray’s shadow loomed over him, Galo started to get to his feet, but just as quickly, Kray reached down and shoved him back onto his knees.

“Kray! Stop it!” Galo snapped.

The hand moved from his shoulder to his chin and Kray grabbed him, holding him like one would a dog who was misbehaving.

“Another word from you, Galo, and I will break out the taser again. Stop. Talking.” Kray demanded.

Galo thought about it and his mouth snapped shut. He couldn’t keep getting knocked unconscious, he needed to figure out a way out and that meant staying awake. Kray nodded and straightened back up. With Galo on his knees, he was distantly reminded of how big Kray had always seemed, especially when he was a little boy. Kray had always seemed so imposing, so elegant, so commanding. Galo had only hoped he would be like that when he grew up.

When Galo had grown up to be as tall as Kray, he had been so happy. Maybe he too could command the respect Kray did. Now, that all seems like a waste of time.

“Now then, I suppose we will start with lesson number one. Move to the center of the room, Galo.” Kray demanded.

Galo eyed him and then eyed the hook that was at the very center of the room. He didn’t move. Kray hummed, as if that's exactly what he expected.

“Rule number one, Galo. When I give you a command, you follow it, to the T.” Kray explain simply.

Without a word, Kray’s hand was in Galo’s hair again and he physically dragged Galo to the center of the room. Galo struggled and yelled, but he had no hands to fight back with. Kray forced him to the center and made him kneel there. Galo glared at him, eyes watery with pain.

“Hands up, Galo.” Kray said.

Galo did nothing. Again, Kray nodded as if that’s what he expected before his foot slammed into Galo’s chest. Galo hit the ground and all the wind was knocked from his lungs. With Galo trying to get air back into his lungs, Kray reached up and Galo could hear clicking as the chain was pulled. Kray moved quickly, putting the hook into the center of the handcuffs before pulling once.

Galo yelped as the chain dragged him to his knees, hands above his head. Galo started to stand, but Kray’s foot planted itself on his kneecap and Galo froze. He knew with the right amount of pressure, Kray could destroy his kneecap and he would never be able to return to firefighting. Galo stayed perfectly still, not daring to risk it.

“Rule number 2. When you go against me, you will be punished. The severity of your punishment will depend on what I feel is justified. If you try to argue with me or fight me on it, I will increase the severity.” Kray stated.

Galo scowled and glared at him.

“Rule number 3. You belong to me, Galo Thymos. Everything you are and everything you will become belongs to me. If I ever, ever hear you talking about someone else in my presence, you will find that what happens next will be anything, but pleasant.” Kray explained, eyes burning.

Galo’s face fell. He looked terrified, positively stricken and something cruel curled in Kray’s belly. That was a good look on him. He would enjoy it from here on out.

“Let me explain something to you. Your life before now is gone. You will not be returning to Burning Rescue, you will not be returning to firefighting and you will never see Lio Fortia again. So, you might as well accept that and move on.” Kray stated.

Galo’s face flushed with rage and he jerked in his chains.

“Screw you! Screw you, Kray! I will get out and I will get back to my team!” Galo snarled.

His eyes were wild and Kray just let out a soft sigh. He stepped into Galo’s space, practically standing on top of him and Galo shuddered as he tried to pull back. His face was all, but buried in Kray’s crotch.

“Rule number 4. If you are good, you will be rewarded. If you do what your told and do not fight me, you will understand how gentle I can be.” Kray said sweetly, ignoring Galo’s anger.

The hand was in his hair again and Galo’s face was forcefully pressed up against Kray’s crotch. He tried to move away, but the only thing he could do was turn his face to the side, the smell of musk and the twitch against his cheek told him everything he didn’t want to know.

“S-Stop!” Galo yelped.

“Enough!” Kray growled.

His hand was tight and Galo was starting to wonder if he would get a bald spot from how much Kray was dragging him around by it. Kray’s hips pressed against his face insistently and Galo had nowhere to go. Kray let out a low groan as Galo’s breath hit him. He ground his hips against Galo’s flushed face.

“Kray! Stop! Get off me!” Galo yelled.

“Why don’t you use that mouth of yours for something more productive, hm?” Kray demanded.

Galo froze, terrified by what he meant. Kray grabbed the back of his head and shoved his face against Kray’s twitching cock. Galo’s lips were pressed against the seam that kept Kray’s cock in his pants and there was a moment where Kray considered tugging his pants down and forcing his cock down Galo’s throat, but he didn’t dare get hasty. Galo was still too disobedient for that and he did not want his dick bitten off.

“Now, be a good boy.” Kray said coldly.

He rubbed against Galo’s face, tilting his head back and closing his eyes in bliss as Galo’s warm breath and slight struggling gave him all the friction he needed. He pressed even closer before letting out a soft sigh and coming. When he was done, he pulled back, releasing Galo’s head. Galo wouldn’t look at him, body trembling and face flushed. Kray glanced down and smirked.

“And finally, rule number 5. My pleasure is your pleasure. You will learn this very quickly. You will only cum when I decide you will cum.” Kray stated.

Galo glared at him from the corner of his eye, still flushed and angry. Kray knelt down and grabbed Galo through his pants, making him yelp. He was more than a little amused to find Galo hard as a rock. Galo tried again to move away, but Kray just followed him, pressing and stroking on Galo’s cock.

“It could be so pleasurable for you, you know. Just submit to me, and you’ll live in blissful pleasure for the rest of your life. I can take such good care of you, Galo.” Kray whispered sweetly in his ear.

Galo had nowhere to go. Kray’s hand was rough, but quick on his dick, his voice was in Galo’s ear, his body pressed up against Galo’s. Galo bit his lip, trying to keep himself quiet for once. The scent of Kray all around him was making his brain short-circuit. Once, this scent made him feel safe and cared for. Now, it was mixing with the scent of musk and sex and his body was having a hard time figuring out what to do.

“S-Stop!” Galo begged.

Kray paused and there was a moment where Galo breathed a mental sigh of relief before Kray’s hand tightened around him to the point where Galo was terrified he might actually break his dick.

“The only thing I want to hear you beg for is more or for mercy. You do not have a right to tell me to stop. You are mine to do with as I please. And if that includes jerking you off until you cum into your pants like a horny teenager, then so be it.” Kray growled.

His hand started to move again and there was nothing Galo could do. He cried out as he came, shivering and shuddering. Kray removed his hand and Galo grimaced at the wetness of his boxers as the hand moved to his hair again and he pressed Galo’s face into Kray’s shoulder as Kray stroked the blue strands.

“Good boy.” Kray cooed and Galo squeezed his eyes shut.

“Nothing! We have absolutely nothing!” Lio snarled.

He swiped the map from the table and it was only Gueira’s quick thinking that saved it from hitting the floor. It had been twenty-four hours since Galo had been taken. So far, everything they had looked into lead them nowhere. The car he had been taken in was found, but it was empty. The driver had been found shot dead in an alleyway two blocks down.

They had no clues on where Kray was or even where Vulcan was. Everything they could use to track Kray or his team kept leading to dead ends. Lio gripped his hair and almost tore it out. They had no idea if Galo was still even in the city. All they could confirm was that Galo was taken by Vulcan to bring to Kray. That Kray had insisted on Galo being brought to him before the end of the day.

The driver had also confirmed that Vulcan was gathering his forces. Apparently, Kray was planning on taking the city back by force. The driver had shown them where the Freeze Force was gathering, but by the time they got there, they were already long gone. 

“Boss?” Meis called.

Lio turned and looked at him, feeling helpless and weak. All he could imagine was what horrible things Kray was doing to Galo. He was sure this was all an act of revenge, which meant Galo could already be long dead by now. Lio choked and buried his face in his arms as he started to cry. Galo could be dead, could be dead somewhere and Lio might never find him.

Meis and Gueira looked at each other before moving to either side of Lio. They wrapped him in their arms, not sure what else they could do. Meis found himself tearing up too. Galo had been so kind to them, to all of them since the fight. He had taken them in, cared for them, fought for them and the burnish had adopted Galo as one of their own.

Not even to mention how Lio himself felt about the man. Meis and Gueira had been shocked when Lio had confessed to being in love with Galo, but in the end, they couldn’t imagine anyone better for their boss. Galo made Lio laugh, made him smile, comforted him when he felt low and kept his spirits high. If Galo died, they were sure Lio would never be the same.

“We have to find him.” Lio whispered as he sat back.

Galo blurily opened his eyes as the door opened. After Kray had rubbed him off, Kray had simply gotten up and left. Left Galo hanging by his arms and his pants uncomfortably wet without a second glance. Eventually, Galo had gotten his legs to cooperate and had stood up, but he couldn’t get the hook off. Which meant he couldn’t move back to the mattress and he was left standing there.

He had tried to yell for help or for someone to come undo the hook, but no luck. He had even tried to released the chain a bit by tugging on it, but that must have some latch because he couldn’t get it to budge. In the end, he had fallen asleep standing up and was now waking up feeling sore and tired. His muscles ached and he longed for a hot shower and a warm bed.

“Good morning, Galo. I hope you slept well.” Kray said simply as he walked in.

Galo scowled.

“Like shit, thanks for asking.” Galo replied hotly.

Galo’s eyes darted to the tray Kray was carrying and his stomach growled, much to his embarrassment. He was distinctly aware that he was starving and hadn’t eaten since breakfast with Lio. God, when even was that? Yesterday? The day before? He had no sense of time after being moved around so much.

“Well, if you are good, tonight you might even be allowed to sleep in your bed. It all depends on you, Galo.” Kray stated simply.

Galo scuffed.

“Or if you feel like tormenting me. Whatever floats your boat, right?” Galo said coldly.

Kray chuckled, amused.

“Of course. Like I said, Galo, everything you want and need will be given to you by me and me alone. If I decide you sleep on the cold, hard floor, then that is what will happen. Of course, I can be persuaded to leniency if you ask nicely enough.” Kray replied.

Galo wanted to kick his face in.

“Like hell I am begging you for anything!” Galo snapped.

Kray shrugged.

“Then it is you who will suffer. Like I said before, Galo, this can be extremely pleasurable or exceptionally hard. The only fact of the matter is that one way or another, I will get my way and you will submit. Whether I have to break that burning soul of your’s or not is up to you.” Kray stated shrugging.

“You won’t break me, Kray! My burning soul will handle anything you can throw at me!” Galo yelled.

Kray shifted the tray and Galo suddenly noticed that Kray now had two arms. He stared at the other arm, feeling just a bit nervous. It reminded him of Kray’s other one. Kray noticed his stare and nodded.

“My scientists finally got around to fitting it on me. I was a little preoccupied yesterday.” Kray said, clenching and unclenching the fist.

Galo wasn’t sure why Kray suddenly having two hands rather than one bothered him so much. Admittedly, that meant Kray had one more advantage over him that he didn’t have before.

“Now, let’s get down to business, shall we?” Kray said simply.

Galo’s attention turned to the tray and his mouth watered. It was a simple breakfast, bacon, hash browns, toast and fruit, but Galo’s stomach rumbled with hunger. Kray snapped his fingers and the door opened again. A guard came in with a chair, put it down, bowed, and left. Galo blinked a bit before turning his attention to Kray again. Kray moved over to the chair and sat down, placing the tray on his lap.

“Now, kneel.” Kray demanded.

Galo straightened his back, eyes narrowed. He didn’t budge.

“I will not repeat myself, Galo. Kneel or you will not eat.” Kray explained.

Galo just held his eyes, not moving. Kray hummed and popped a piece of fruit into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully.

“You know, Galo. I remember when I used to take you out for your birthday. You were always so excited, weren’t you? You would sit around for me all day, not daring to move or make other plans. You just couldn’t wait to go out with your hero.” Kray said the word ‘hero’ with such a tone of disgust that Galo actually felt angry.

“Because I actually believed you were a good person back then. I actually believed you had a heart.” Galo snapped.

Kray chuckled and popped another piece in his mouth.

“My, I remember how insufferable it was. Listen to you ramble on about the most mind-numbing dribble possible. I couldn’t wait to leave.” Kray explain calmly.

Galo’s heart actually ached when he said that. He looked away, feeling embarrassed while at the same time, feeling angry.

“I was a kid, Kray! I didn’t know anything else and you sure as hell didn’t tell me to take a hike!” Galo snapped.

Kray shrugged.

“What was a little suffering if that happened me get to where I wanted to be? Being seen with you was great for publicity. The media adored you and therefore, enjoyed seeing us together. It helped me secure my place in the city as the hero you kept preaching I was.” Kray stated.

God, when he put it so plainly, Galo felt sick. He might as well have put Kray in the governor’s office himself! Might as well have handed him the key to the city. Galo felt his eyes water a bit, feeling a bit like that small, dumb child he used to be.

“Come now, Galo. Why the tears? You helped me into the man you see before you. You helped make our city a better place. I couldn’t have done it without you.” Kray’s smile was cruel and Galo wanted to punch it off his face.

Kray popped another piece in his mouth and Galo subconsciously licked his lips. His stomach growled again and he turned, as if trying to hide his hunger from Kray’s prying eyes.

“Why do this to yourself, Galo? Why suffer this way? Do you remember how we used to share a dessert? You didn’t mind eating from my hands then, what makes this so different?” Kray demanded.

The fruit was held between his fingers, the juice dripping and Galo followed the trail with his eyes before shaking his head. A clank of the tray hitting the floor made Galo’s head jerked up and Kray was there, looking down on him. One hand wrapped around his throat and when he opened his mouth to yell, the other shoved the piece into his lips, all the way to the back of his throat. Galo choked and had no choice, but to swallow.

“There we go.” Kray said simply, eyes wild and Galo did the only thing he could think of.

He bit down, only to yelp. It was Kray’s metal arm and his eyes watered as Kray laughed.

“Like the simpleminded dog you are. How amusing.” Kray whispered harshly.

He pulled back and Galo coughed violently, breathing deeply. Kray reached up and grabbed the chain again and Galo yelped as he was dragged. This time the chain continued until Galo was hanging by his arms, tip toes just barely touching the floor. Galo felt the burn in his arms and hissed. Kray stared at him, looking over his body with appraising eyes.

“You truly have grown into quite the beautiful man, haven’t you? It was actually pointed out to me by one of my advisors once. He asked me if I would be willing to let you out from under my thumb enough to let someone else have a turn. The very idea that someone actually found you attractive enough to sleep with was revolting to me at the time. All I could see you as was the annoying stain that never left me well enough alone. But now? I think he might have been on to something.” Kray said, placing his mechanical hand against Galo’s chest, stroking the skin there.

Galo shivered and tried to use his arms to move away, but Kray just grabbed him around the waist and held him. He forced himself between Galo’s legs and Galo shivered when he felt Kray’s dick against his own. Kray wrapped Galo’s legs around his waist and grinned.

“I like that look in your eyes, Galo. Lust mixed with fear. You can’t help, but want a taste, can you? I’m sure you’ve dreamt about it, me touching you like this, me wanting you like this.” Krtay grinned.

“No! Stop it! Let me go!” Galo struggled violently.

There was a ball of fear in his stomach, growing with each passing minute. He was helpless, completely and utterly helpless and if he didn’t do something soon, Kray would use his body however he pleased. Galo was terrified as to what that would lead to. Cold hands wrapped around his throat again and he choked, eyes going wide as Kray stared at him. They were cold, empty and Galo struggled to get air into his lungs.

His head started to feel light, his brain started to shut down, lungs deprived of enough oxygen that his body started to believe he was dead. He slumped against Kray, eyes closing before Kray let go. Galo coughed, his throat felt raw and he realized he was crying. Heavy tears ran down his face and he hiccuped, terrified.

“There now, hush hush, Galo.” Kray hugged him tight, petting his hair as Galo shivered against him.

If Kray kept this up, Galo was sure he would be dead by the end of the week.

Lio stared at the cameras again, Lucia by his side. It had been forty eight hours now and they were running on fumes. Ignis had already sent most of the team, including Meis and Gueira, to the bunkroom to get some rest, but Lio refused to move. Lucia had given him some sort of patch and though she warned him it would only keep him awake for a few hours more than his body could handle, he would crash the second it wore off.

Lio was willing to take that risk. He had to, Galo needed him. Ignis came in then and Lucia turned to him.

“Anything?” he demanded.

She gave a slow shake of his head.

“Vulcan and his team haven’t been found.” she admittedly angrily.

“Nothing at all?” Ignis demanded.

“No spikes in sudden thefts. No spikes in energy usage in any certain area. No suspicious behavior. Nothing.” Lucia growled.

“Not even from people we know Kray has under his thumb?” Ignis demanded.

“They are being quiet as mice.” Lio said hotly.

Lio rubbed his eyes and got up.

“I am going for a ride.” he said.

“I think not.” Ignis replied, grabbing the back of his jacket.

Lio snarled and whirled around.

“Get your hands off me!” Lio snapped.

Ignis crossed his arms.

“You are not riding around the city the way you are. Get some sleep.” Ignis demanded.

“I am not a part of your team! I am Lio Fortia, the leader of the Mad Burnish!” Lio yelled.

The door creaked open and the team peeked their heads in.

“You are in no condition to drive. Go get some sleep.” Ignis repeated.

“I can and will do whatever the fuck I want!” Lio snapped.

Ignis stepped into his personal space and looked down at him. Lio just barely resisted the urge to claw his eyes out.

“Oh, so when we find Galo, should I tell him when your funeral is or just bring him to see the managed wreck that is your body?” Ignis snapped.

Lio froze, staring at him.

“Boss.” Meis muttered.

“What’s going on?” Remi asked concerned.

“This idiot thinks he is going to go out driving in the condition he’s in and be fine. I’m just stating the facts of what will happen if he decides to go off on his own. So are you going to just kill yourself or take someone out with you? Do you have any idea how dangerous it is to drive impared?” Ignis continued.

Lio swallowed hard and his eyes watered. He looked down at the floor and felt smaller than dirt. Ignis sighed and reached up to rub his eyes under his glasses.

“If I let you go out there the way you are, you will either kill yourself or kill someone else. You need sleep. You need sleep for your sake and Galo’s sake.” Ignis said calmly.

Lio nodded slowly and swallowed.

“Thank you, Ignis. And I’m sorry.” Lio replied.

He felt embarrassed, horrified by the way he acted. Ignis placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed.

“I’m worried about Galo. Believe me, we all are. When we find him, he is going to need his whole team beside him, you especially. So, make sure to take care of yourself until we get that overgrown manchild back. Understand?” Ignis commanded.

“Yes. Thank you.” Lio pulled back before taking the patch off his arm.

Immediately, he felt the fatigue kick in and Gueira quickly gathered Lio on his back before carrying him all the way to the bunks. Lio fell asleep before his head hit the pillow.

Galo hung in his chains, his shoulders aching. After he had calmed down, Kray had simply left. Removed Galo’s legs from his waist, told someone to come in and clean up the mess as the door slammed shut behind him. Galo had once again tried to get free, but the chain wouldn’t budge and all it did was hurt his arms and shoulders.

“Fuck.” Galo mumbled.

The door opened then and Galo looked up, startled to see a guard come in with a pan and broom. He cleaned up the spot quickly, but afterwards, he lingered, staring.

“Got something to say, asshole!” Galo snapped.

He was tired and sore and didn’t want to be stared at by some freak willing to help Kray’s plans along. He figured there was no point in trying to ask for help, these guys were all clearly on Kray’s side.

“They were right. You really can’t keep your mouth shut, can you?” the guard chuckled and Galo scowled.

“There’s not a man alive who can make Galo Thymos shut up!” Galo replied hotly.

The guard paused before moving closer and though Galo couldn’t see his face due to the colored visor he wore, Galo got the oddest feeling he was being leered at.

“You know, I can think of a few things to shut you up. It’d be plenty fun, for me that is.” he continued and Galo started to jerk in his chains when the guy got too close.

“Fuck off! Don’t touch me!” Galo hissed.

A hand grabbed his face and Galo scowled, glaring at him.

“We’d have to do something about those teeth, but yeah, I can think of one really easy way to shut you up.” the guard grabbed his own crotch and Galo struggled even harder.

“Get off of me!” Galo screamed.

The door opened then and Galo stared past the guard to see Kray step into the room. The guard didn’t bother to turn around.

“Hey, you think Kray will let us play with his whore?” the guard asked as Kray moved closer.

He didn’t seem to realize who he was talking to. The guard continued when Kray didn’t reply.

“I heard Vulcan talking about him. Made a big deal about how loud the kid is. Wonder if we can make him scream?” the guard chuckled.

Kray hummed as he stopped right behind him.

“You know, I bet he’s really tight, but after a few rounds with Kray, maybe Kray will let us play with him too.”

“Oh, I highly doubt that.” Kray replied coldly.

The guard jumped, turning to face him and salute.

“M-Mr. Foresight sir! I was just uhhh…” The guard didn’t even get to finish.

Kray placed a hand on his shoulder and the guard relaxed for a moment. In that moment, Kray darted forward with the swiftness of a cobra, grabbed his throat and crushed his windpipe with his metal hand.

“No!” Galo yelled.

The guard dropped and Galo could hear him choking, trying to breath. Panic settled in.

“Kray, Kray, put me down! Please, Kray! You can’t let him die like that!” Galo begged.

Kray hummed as he stared down at the guard. Without a care, he kicked the man to the side and the body hit the wall with a solid thub. Galo’s heart stopped when the man didn’t move.

“Kray, Kray, please, please don’t let him die. Please let me help him.” Galo was babbling now, but he was just so desperate.

What kind of rescuer would he be if someone died not even two feet from him? Kray grabbed his face and forcefully turned it to look at him.

“Enough about him, Galo. He is not important.” Kray replied.

“You don’t know that! He has a family! And friends! He doesn’t deserve to die here!” Galo begged.

Kray hummed and stroked his cheek with his thumb.

“It always amazed me to see you ignore someone’s bad traits in order to help them, Galo. That man was just talking about raping you and you are more concerned about how his family would feel if he didn’t come home. It’s truly one of those things that always baffled me about you.” Kray stated.

Galo heard the man gave his last, choked sigh and tried to look at him again, heart dropping, but Kray had his face in a tight grip and there was nothing he could do. The man died and Galo could do nothing. Galo’s lower lip trembled and looked Kray in the eyes.

“Why? Why did you do that?” Galo begged and Kray chuckled.

“Why? Because he touched what was mine, of course.” Kray replied.

“What?” Galo once again tried to pull back, but nothing.

“Like I said before, Galo. You are mine and anyone who tries to touch you or take you from me will die. Whether it be Lio Fortia or that stupid Burning Rescue team. If any of them come here to get you back, they will die.” Kray explained.

Galo’s world narrowed. His breathing came out in shaky breaths, his mind struggling to process what Kray was saying.

“Don’t. You can’t.” Galo whispered.

Eyes wide and horrified, Galo couldn’t imagine the death of his friends and loved ones like that.

“Oh, but I can and I will, Galo. Like I said, you are mine now. I will never let you go. Not to Ignis or your team and certainly not to Lio fucking Fortia.” Kray growled.

Kray pressed against him all of a sudden and Galo had no chance before his lips were captured. Kray devoured him. Kray forced his mouth open, kissed him deeply and all the while, rubbing his cock against Galo’s in a frenzied pace. All Galo could do was whimper and whine as Kray stole the breath from his lungs and forced pleasure on him.

Galo came with a startled cry as Kray bit deeply into his shoulder. The blood welled up and dripped down to the floor. Galo let out a sob. When Kray was done, he pulled back, licking the blood from his lips and Galo shivered, tears slipping down his face. Kray cupped his chin and kissed him, smearing the blood on his mouth and Galo almost gagged.

“Now, isn’t that a good look for you?” Kray chuckled.

He pulled back completely, wiping the blood from his mouth with a handkerchief from his pocket. He tossed it to the side and it landed on the corpse’s face. With that, he turned and started to leave.

“Kray, Kray, let me down! Kray!” Galo yelled after him.

The door slammed shut and Galo slumped in his chains. He glanced over at the corpse next to him and shivered.

Lio woke up and sat up in his bunk, mind racing. He jumped out of the bed and ran to Lucia’s room, slamming open the door. She jumped.

“Check any building that saw an increase in power before their section of the city had power back on.” Lio said quickly.

Lucia eyes got wide and she started typing, her fingers racing across the keyboard.

Galo opened his eyes when the door opened again. His body felt weak with hunger and pain. He was sure his shoulders were going to be messed up for months. Kray came in and he had another tray of food and Galo was almost sick. He buried his face in his arm, trying to keep himself from smelling it. Kray sat in the same chair as before and Galo refused to look at him.

“Come now, Galo. Surely by now you’ve realized you can’t fight this forever?” Kray stated simply.

Galo ignored him, closing his eyes. Kray hummed and leaned back in his chair.

“I won’t allow you to starve yourself, Galo. You either eat or I will make you. I will force a feeding tube down your throat if I have to. After all, it would keep you quiet and I don’t need your mouth when I have other parts of you I can use.” Kray explained.

Galo shivered in disgust. The more Kray talked about it, the more Galo wondered just how close he was. Kray rubbed his chin and then sighed.

“I suppose you have had a rough day. I am sure you would prefer sleeping in a bed tonight compared to hanging by your arms. Let’s make a little deal.” Kray stated.

Galo licked his lips and looked at Kray.

“A deal?” Galo muttered.

“Correct. You eat what I give you and I will let you down. You’ll be able to sleep in your bed tonight.” Kray explained.

Galo swallowed. Food sounded amazing and to be able to sleep in an actual bed tonight sounded even better, but he couldn’t figure out what Kray got out of this. Everything had to come back to Kray somehow, right? But he was so tired and sore and hungry. The food on the tray looked amazing and smelled even better and his stomach was just clenching with hunger pains.

“Fine.” Galo replied.

“Oh? What was that, Galo? I can’t hear you.” Kray replied.

Galo swallowed hard and turned to him.

“I said fine. I’ll do it.” Galo stated.

Kray nodded and stood up. Placing the tray on the chair, he walked over. Galo followed his hand as he reached up and tugged on the chain. Immediately, it let go and Galo sighed when his feet finally hit the floor and his shoulders were no longer taking the strain.

“There’s a little latch, you see. Right here on the chain. Unless you press this latch, the chain is locked.” Kray explained as he removed the hook from Galo’s cuffs.

Galo had figured that part out already and this just showed that Kray still thought of him as some sort of idiot. Kray grabbed him by the chin and smiled.

“See how easy that is, Galo? When you agree with me, all your worries and pain go away.” Kray whispered and Galo had to hold back a scowl.

Kray lead him back to the chair.

“Now, kneel.” Kray commanded.

He moved the tray from the chair, sat down and crossed his legs. Galo eyed him before looking at the floor. It was cold and he really didn’t want to kneel, but his stomach growled again and a wave of dizziness went through him. Galo swallowed hard and knelt down in front of Kray. He didn’t see the flash of victory in Kray’s eyes, all he felt was the hand that reached out and tangled in his dirty hair.

“Good boy, Galo. Good boys get rewarded, remember that. Now, open up wide.” Kray stated.

Galo hated the burn of humiliation in his stomach. Hated that he felt so weak and helpless. He thought about refusing, but in the end, he opened his mouth. Kray chuckled as the first piece of meat was placed on Galo’s tongue. He chewed eagerly, the taste exploding on his taste buds. The next few pieces were devoured with equal eagerness before Kray paused and Galo stopped, uncertain of what was going on.

“I wonder what your team would think of you now.” Kray said conversationally.

He idly cut up some more pieces of food, not even bothering to look at Galo, knowing exactly what kind of look would cross his face. Shame and horror.

“They would understand.” Galo replied angrily.

“Would they? I’m not so sure. I’m sure Lio wouldn’t.” Kray said with a dark chuckle.

Galo flinched back and his stomach dropped. Kray was right, wasn’t he? Lio would never kneel at his feet for a few scraps of food. Galo immediately went to get up, but Kray grabbed him by the hair and held him.

“But you aren’t Lio, are you, Galo? No, you are just a weak little dog, desperate for any kind of attention you can get. I’m sure Lio would be absolutely disgusted by you.” Kray stated coldly.

Galo’s stomach clenched for a completely different reason than hunger. Kray was right, wasn’t he? Lio would be furious to find out what Galo was doing. Galo swallowed hard and felt rage boil inside him.

“Stop it.” Galo snapped.

“Oh? Now the dog wants to be aggressive? How cute.” Kray cooed and Galo snarled.

The slap came from nowhere and Galo hit the floor, his head cracking on the pavement. He was dazed and unable to get up. Kray let out a hum and stood up, tray in hand.

“Dogs who growl at their owners get punished, remember, Galo? Only good boys get rewards and since you have proven you aren’t a good boy, you get nothing else to eat.” Kray stated.

Galo tried unsuccessfully to get up, his head throbbing and his vision blurred. Drool dribbled down from his lips as he tried to push himself up. A boot placed on the back of his head forced him back down as Kray stood over him.

“This is such a pretty sight, Galo. You have no idea how much joy it brings me to see you like this.” Kray said sweetly.

Galo tried to push him off, but he had no strength. Eyes on the pavement below, he noted that there was specks of something dark on the concrete. Blood maybe? He wasn’t sure who’s, maybe it was his. He tried to get up again, but all he could do was raise his eyes. His eyes locked on the corpse still laying on the floor. From this angle, he could actually see the man’s helmet and choked, feeling his eyes water.

Kray would kill him. Kray was so far gone that he would end up killing him if this kept up. There would be nothing left for his team to find if he didn’t do something. He remembered, vaguely, that when he was going through EMT school that they taught how survivors sometimes worked with or even submitted to their kidnappers to stay alive. Galo hadn’t understood back then, he thought people should fight to the death against those who tried to break them, but what good would that do him now?

He closed his eyes. He thought about his team; Lucia, Aina, Remi, Vinny, Varys and Ignis. He thought about the burnish; Gueira, Meis and all the poor people he had saved from the pods of the ship. He thought about all those who were already gone when they finally peeled the pod doors back, little more than ashes left behind by Kray’s evil.

Finally, he thought of Lio. He thought of the man whom he had shared his soul with, who had combined with him to save the world. He thought about the kind, but strict, caring, but rash, bold, but soft man he had come to know and love. He breathed deeply and spoke.

“I’m sorry, Kray.” Galo stated.

Kray paused and he felt the weight of his foot move off the back of his head, but Galo didn’t move. He stayed where he was.

“What was that, Galo?” Kray demanded.

Galo swallowed.

“I’m sorry. You’re right. I shouldn’t have snapped at you. I’m sorry.” Galo said.

He tried to keep his voice calm, even, like Kray had always tried to make him. Thinking about it, even back then, before Galo had known what kind of man Kray was, he had tried to quiet Galo’s soul. There was a hum and then Kray’s shadow moved. Galo stayed absolutely still, not sure what to do next when Kray’s hand grabbed his chin and tilted his head up, forcing him into a sitting position.

Kray’s eyes locked with his and he tried to make himself look as pathetic as possible. If Kray wanted a dumb, patethic dog, Galo would give him one.

“I see. Perhaps that hit to your head has finally knocked some common sense into you. A little test then.” Kray stated.

Kray got up and moved away from him, but Galo sat absolutely still. He didn’t dare move or even turn to look. He heard something move around on the tray and when Kray came back, he had a piece of meat between his fingers, the juice practically dripping off. Galo’s mouth watered.

“Now, you will suck every last drop off my fingers, understand?” Kray said coldly.

Galo nodded, not sure if that was the right thing to do, but Kray seemed pleased and held out his hand. Galo opened his mouth and Kray shoved them in. Galo breathed deeply through his nose, making sure to use only his tongue. The small piece of meat was swallowed quickly, but Galo made sure to lick and suck every inch of Kray’s fingers. He only stopped when Kray pulled his hand back. Kray looked over his fingers with a critical eye before nodding, pleased.

“See, Galo? Things are so much easier when you do things my way.” Kray stated.

Galo licked his lips.

“Yes, Kray. I’m sorry.” Galo muttered.

Kray nodded and stood up.

“If you are willing to be good now, we can continue where we left off before.” Kray returned to the chair and Galo frowned, not sure if he should follow him or wait.

Apparently waiting was what Kray wanted because he grinned when Galo didn’t move.

“Come here, Galo.” Kray cocked a finger and Galo got up, walked over and knelt down by his feet.

Kray continued to feed him from there, watching with a critical eye at every movement Galo made. He made sure not to think too deeply, trying to seem like he was completely and utterly devoted to eating the food Kray provided him. When the tray was empty, Galo sat there, unsure of what would happen next.

The hand was back in his hair and he closed his eyes, pressing against it, pretending it was Lio’s hand. The size was all wrong, much too big, but it made it easier when he thought that way.

“Excellent. I do believe we have made some progress. Hopefully, it will keep up from here.” Kray said and he sounded pleased.

Galo nodded, but said nothing. Eventually, Kray pulled his hand back and stood up.

“That’s enough for now. Get some sleep, Galo. You will need it.” Kray commanded.

Galo nodded as he got up. He moved over to the bed and laid down on his side, closing his eyes as Kray left.

“Anything?” Lio asked.

“We have three buildings. One of which has a back-up generator. I hacked their system anyway, but they are clean.” Lucia replied.

“What about the other two?” Ignis demanded.

“One is the hospital. We were the ones who made sure the power was on after the crash, but here’s the kicker. Kray was the one who set up that hospital.” Lucia stated.

“So, there is a good chance Galo is there.” Remi said.

“Yes, but we have no jurisdiction over the hospital. If we go busting in there without anything to prove Kray or Galo are there, we will be disbanded in a heartbeat.” Ignis explained.

Lio grit his teeth and tapped his fingers on the table.

“What about the last building?” Varys asked.

Lucia grinned, the smile curled across her cheeks.

“That’s where things get interesting. It’s an old shopping mall that just so happens to be just a block away from the ship. We also got them back up and running since there were several businesses there we needed for supplies. Here’s the kicker. Vulcan’s family owes the property.” Lucia explained.

“Vulcan’s family?” Gueira said shocked.

“There’s more of that fucker?” Aina made a face.

“Yeah, his family isn’t big, but they are all deep supporters of Kray and the Freeze Force. His father was the original captain when it first started, leaving Vulcan’s two brothers to run the property. With the family so deeply involved, I did a little hacking and look what I found.” she said pulling up a video.

They watched as the video started. It was dark out, probably close to midnight. The back door opened and an older woman stepped out, holding a bundle. From the shadows, a man came out and they all sucked in a breath.

“Vulcan.” Ignis said with a growl.

The man walked up to the woman and accepted the bundle before kissing her on the cheek. She said a few things to him before he turned and walked away.

“So they are helping him.” Lio said angrily.

“And have been for a while. They do a drop about once a week. This drop happened yesterday.” Lucia said annoyed.

“So either we wait until the next drop or we try to bust our way into a hospital. Either of those aren’t looking like good options.” Remi said rubbing his forehead.

“We don’t have a lot of choices. If we go busting into the mall, Vulcan might get scared off. He’s our only way to track Kray right now.” Ignis replied.

“So we just… do nothing?” Aina asked.

“That’s all we can do. Vulcan is being super tricky. I haven’t found him on another camera since Galo was taken.” Lucia grumbled.

Vinny grumbled as well and Lio rubbed his hands together.

“We have to take this slowly. Going in balls to the wall will make Kray go underground and take Galo with him. We need to stay calm.” Lio explained.

He hated the idea of it though. Galo needed them and needed them now, but they couldn’t afford to lose this chance. Vulcan was their key to finding Kray, he just knew it.

Kray hummed as he looked over the clothes Vulcan had brought him.

“Good quality. I am pleased. Thank you, Vulcan.” Kray said simply.

Vulcan puffed out his chest with pride.

“My family will always be there to support you, Sir. Just say the word and we’ll make it happen.” he said with a grin.

Kray nodded as he took the bundle.

“For now, keep your head down. Tell your family to do the same. We cannot afford to slip up when we are so close.” Kray explained as he turned away.

Vulcan saluted again before walking off and Kray smirked. Vulcan’s family had been quite useful since he had escaped. They were all incredibly loyal and had a lot of power around the city. As long as he kept them in his pocket, he would be fine. He returned to Galo’s room and opened the door to find Galo sitting on the bed, staring at the floor.

He perked up when Kray came in, but Kray could see the unease and confusion as Kray walked over.

“I do believe it is time to get you out of these clothes, Galo. They are filthy.” Kray stated.

Galo slowly got to his feet as Kray showed him his new clothes. A simple pair of tight pants with snaps along the sides. Galo stared at them before glancing at Kray.

“Kray… can I also shower? My hair is disgusting too.” Galo asked nervously.

Kray hummed and eyed the blue strands. Admittedly, they had felt rather greasy the last time he touched them and they did look disgusting. 

“Now, why should I allow that, hm? You haven’t exactly proven yourself.” Kray stated coldly.

Galo shifted slightly.

“But you never liked to be near me when I was sweaty or dirty. I just want to be better… for you.” Galo’s eyes were lowered and Kray felt a stirring in his crotch.

“Very well then. However, Galo, if you try anything funny, I will simply have the Freeze Force come in here and clean you with a hose, do I make myself clear?” Kray demanded.

“Yes, Kray.” Galo said nodding.

Kray nodded and then looked at the chain around his ankle. He walked over to where the chain came out of the wall and pressed his thumb against it. There was a beep and the chain fell off. When he looked up, Galo’s eyes were wide and he chuckled.

“From the cuff around you hand to the one on the wall, everything here is connected to me. Your freedom is connected to me. Remember that.” Kray stated.

Galo nodded slowly as Kray walked past him and opened the door. Kray lead the way, Galo directly behind him. They walked down the hall to another room and as Galo walked inside, he was startled when Kray followed him in. There was a single toilet, a sink and a shower. Galo looked at the cuffs and then held them out to Kray.

“Can we take these off now?” Galo asked.

Kray chuckled and grabbed his chin.

“Please don’t believe me to be naive, Galo. I am not taking those off until you prove to me you are loyal. They stay on until that day.” Kray replied.

Galo frowned, brow furling.

“But how am I going to wash my hair?” Galo asked confused.

Kray took a step forward and Galo yelped as he was suddenly pushed up against the wall. His pants were yanked down to his feet and he was forced to stumbled out of them. His sleeve was ripped off and dropped to the floor. He shivered as the cold tile pressed against his back.

“Do. Not. Move.” Kray commanded and Galo nodded.

Kray hummed as he looked Galo over, taking the time to trace his eyes over every inch and curve. Galo’s ribs were starting to stick out a bit, but overall, his body was covered in muscle and very little fat. Kray felt a curl of pleasure in his stomach, knowing that for all his training and all his hard work, he could still force Galo to do whatever he wanted. All the muscle was just for show, it did nothing to help Galo fight off Kray’s advances.

“Very nice.” Kray purred.

With that, he reached up and started undoing his own clothes. Galo’s eyes were wide and he pressed against the wall.

“K-Kray? What are you doing?” Galo asked.

There was a hint of terror in his voice and Kray simply chuckled.

“Relax, Galo. I am simply helping you clean yourself up. You can’t do it yourself after all.” Kray chuckled.

Galo swallowed as Kray stripped down to nothing. Kray ignored him and moved towards the shower. He turned the knobs until the temperature was perfect and then looked at Galo.

“Come along, Galo. I do not have all day.” Kray held out his hand and Galo swallowed before moving closer.

Galo was pulled into the shower and shivered as Kray pressed against his back. Kray’s cock pressed right against his cheeks and he bit his lip to stop a cry of fear from escaping. He could feel how hard Kray was and he wondered if he had been better off not saying anything about his hair.

“Relax, Galo. A good dog allows himself to be bathed without issues.” Kray said calmly.

Galo jumped a bit when Kray’s hands reached around and grabbed his chest, hands covered in soap suds. He shivered again when Kray started to massage his pecs as he rubbed the soap into his skin.

“Ah!” Galo cried as Kray’s finger found his nipples and rubbed.

The feel of one warm hand and one cold hand made him swallow. It was hard to think when Kray was taking the time to actually rub him down. The hands moved to his arm, where Kray gently massaged the muscles there. Galo bowed his head, eyes trained on the water swirling down the drain. The water was filthy and he was a bit grateful to get the sweat and dust from his skin.

The hands finished one arm and moved to his other, the scarred one and Galo stiffened. He didn’t like anyone touching his arm, that’s why he always kept it covered. The scars were still sensitive after all this time and he tried not to flinch away when Kray took the time to trace every one of them.

“Kray.” he whispered, his face flushed.

The heat of the shower was getting to him a bit. It was much hotter than he usually like it and he could feel his skin turning pink.

“Relax, Galo. You should be happy I am spending this much time on you.” Kray said coldly.

Galo went quiet as the hands started to move across his back, around to his chest again and down to his waist. He held his breath, wondering if Kray would touch him between his legs, but Kray stopped at the V of his hips.

“Turn and kneel, Galo.” Kray commanded.

Galo paused, but dared not fight it. He turned until he was staring Kray in the eyes and then went down to his knees. Like this, he was face to face with Kray’s cock again.

“Good boy. Now, hold still.” Kray demanded.

Galo felt something cold drip onto his head and closed his eyes as Kray started to massage the shampoo into his hair. It was strangely soothing and Galo found himself relaxing as the strands were carefully washed.

“Look at me, Galo.” Kray said and Galo blinked his eyes open.

Kray was blocking the water and Galo stared at him as Kray ran his hands through Galo’s now washed hair.

“Hm, perhaps I will allow you to keep it long. I had originally thought to have you cut it short, but I am finding, without that gel in your hair, that I like the look of your hair in my fist.” Kray said.

The two hands clenched into fists and Galo whimpered as he tugged on his scalp. He tugged enough that Galo stumbled a bit, falling against Kray’s thigh. His eyes locked with the large cock Kray was supporting and suddenly, he was scared. Was Kray going to force him to suck him off? Galo wasn’t sure he could do that without choking.

“K-Kray.” Galo called, glancing up at him.

Kray’s eyes were wild, not unlike the time he had been fighting them on the ship. The deep red made something twist in Galo’s stomach. The hands released his hair and he was dragged to his feet. Kray’s hands moved to his legs and Galo shivered, trying to keep himself from slipping. He was pressed against the wall as Kray continued to wash him.

“I-I think I’m clean now.” Galo said quickly.

Kray chuckled and pressed against him.

“Not quite. There is one place we still need to clean, Galo.” Kray said sweetly.

Galo stared at him blankly, not sure what he was talking about when he was flipped around and shoved against the wall again. Kray forced his legs open, spreading them with his own before Galo could say anything.

“K-Kray!” Galo yelped.

“There we go. One last place to clean, Galo.” Kray said leaning over his back.

A finger moved between his cheeks and Galo froze, eyes wide.

“W-Wait! Kray, please wait!” Galo said quickly.

He tried to move away, but Kray just pinned him harder against the wall.

“Come now, Galo. Enough fighting. As I told you before, I will get what I want, so you might as well give in and it might even be pleasurable for you.” Kray chuckled and Galo could feel the vibrations against his back.

The finger was insistent, rubbing and stroking against Galo’s entrance and Galo squeezed his eyes shut. He pressed his head against the wall, trying and failing to hold back the tears caught in his throat. Kray’s other hand moved to his stomach and started to rub.

“Relax, Galo or it will hurt, that I can promise.” Kray explained and Galo swallowed.

“I’m trying. I just… I can’t.” Galo hiccuped and Kray cooed in his ear.

“Good boys know how to relax, Galo. If you want to prove to me you are good, then relax.” Kray said sweetly.

Galo swallowed and nodded. He kept his eyes closed, swallowing his fear as much as he could. He thought about his warm bed at home, safe and sound. He thought about being wrapped in his blankets, protected from the world. His mind suddenly added Lio there and even though it made him feel dirty to think about Lio while Kray was pressed against him, it was enough to make his body relax a bit.

“There we go, just relax.” Kray continued.

The finger pressed a bit harder and Galo groaned as it sank into him. He squeezed his fists, bit his lip and shivered as Kray pressed it all the way inside.

“My, you are so tight, Galo. I’m quite surprised.” Kray said as the finger started to move.

In and out, in and out, the motion was almost soothing in a way and Galo found himself relaxing even more. He had gotten used to the heat of the shower and now it was almost warm enough that Galo felt comfortable. He wondered idly if the hit from earlier gave him a concussion. Kray’s hand moved from his stomach to his hair and started to pet him. Fuck, Galo was on the edge of falling asleep when the second finger pushed in.

He yelped, tensing up before he realized that was a horrible idea. It actually hurt now, not just uncomfortable and Galo tried to force himself to relax again. The fingers started to scissor him and he jumped a bit when the one touched something deep inside him. It was barely there, but the pleasure that ripped up his spine was ungodly.

“W-What was that?” Galo asked.

“Ah, yes. That. I was wondering what your reaction would be if I found that. Do you understand now, Galo? Pleasure or pain, I will give you both. Now, let’s see.” Kray said.

He twisted his fingers and Galo let out a cry of bliss. The pleasure tore up and down his spine and his knees almost gave away. If not for Kray pressing him against the wall, he was sure he would have fallen.

“Such pretty sounds, Galo. Won’t you show me how many I can wring from you?” Kray asked.

Kray focused was on that spot and Galo didn’t even notice when the third finger was added. His mind was in a pool of pleasure and he couldn’t even begin to think straight. Just as everything was starting to come together, he could feel the tingling in his balls, Kray stopped. Galo was panting heavily against the wall, mind slowly coming back to him. When it did, he almost collapsed.

“W-What…” Galo’s voice trembled.

Had he really fallen so far? The thought of it made him sick. Kray pulled away completely and Galo sunk to his knees, shivering and shaking. His body still tingled with pleasure and his orgasm was right there, just a slight touch away.

“Rule number 5, Galo. If you wish to cum, I suggest you make sure I cum as well.” Kray stated.

Galo turned to him and saw Kray’s cock was eye level again. It was a deep red and twitching. Galo swallowed and looked up at him, eyes wide.

“I-I’ve never… I don’t know how.” Galo stuttered over his words and Kray hummed.

“You have two choices, Galo. You can either suck me off, or I will fuck you right here and now.” Kray stated.

Kray was big, huge even and Galo couldn’t imagine how that would fit inside him. The fingers had hurt, he couldn’t imagine how painful something like that would be. He swallowed hard.

“Let me make one thing clear, Galo. Neither of us are leaving this room until I cum. You can either do it of your own freewill and maybe I will let you get off as well. Or I take my pleasure from you. Your choice.” Kray crossed his arms and Galo nodded.

“I understand. I just… help me?” Galo glanced at him, wondering if that was a good idea.

Kray hummed and nodded.

“Lean your head against the wall and open you mouth.” Kray commanded.

Galo nodded. He moved so he was against the wall and opened his mouth. The cock slipped inside and Galo shuddered. The taste was awful and he longed to move away, but the wall kept him from doing that. He guessed that’s why Kray was making him do it this way. At first, Kray just slid in and out and Galo could almost pretend it was something else, but then Kray grabbed his cheeks.

“Suck, Galo.” He demanded.

His eyes were burning and Galo tried his best. He had no idea how much pressure to use or what to do with his tongue, so he tried to think of what would make him feel good. He ran his tongue along the vein on the other side, hollowed his cheeks and made sure to keep his teeth covered.

“Hm, you’re actually doing rather well. If I didn’t know better, I would say you’ve done this before.” Kray stated.

He had one hand against the wall, the other curled in Galo’s hair and his hips were pumping. There was something strangely unreal about seeing Kray like this. He had always been so calm and composed. Now, his hair was falling in his face, his face flushed, his eyes burning and his body moving. At one point, Galo would have killed to see Kray this way, but now, it just made him sick.

He kept moving his tongue until suddenly, Kray rocked all the way down his throat and he choked. Hot liquid slipped down his throat and he could do nothing as Kray forced him to take it. When Kray pulled back, Galo dropped down and coughed, hacking up the cum that had slipped down his throat. His stomach was retching so bad, he thought he might actually throw up.

“How pitiful.” Kray said coldly and Galo froze.

He glanced up at Kray and shrunk back under the dark look Kray gave him.

“I-I-I’m sorry.” Galo said between coughs.

“A good dog knows when to swallow. It seems to me you are still not a good boy, Galo.” Kray explained.

Galo shook his head.

“I didn’t mean to, honest! It was my first time, I didn’t know!” Galo panicked.

There was a small part in the back of his mind that wondered why he was trying to convince Kray. He didn’t want this, did he? He didn’t like being touched like this, forced to do these things, right? Yet, there was still a larger part of him that just wanted Kray to be proud of him, just once!

“Hm, I’m not sure I believe that excuse, Galo. After how kind I was to show you what true pleasure felt like.” Kray rubbed his chin, as if in thought and Galo wondered what that would mean for him.

“I didn’t mean to.” Galo whimpered.

Kray eyed him again; the cum covering his mouth, the way his eyes watered, and then, the piece de resistance, the desperate desire to please in his eyes. Even now, Galo couldn’t help, but want to make Kray proud of him.

“I suppose you are right. This was your first time. Perhaps I’ve been a bit too rough with you.” Kray moved closer and stroked Galo’s hair, pulling him close enough for Galo to rest his forehead on Kray’s thigh.

The water was starting to turn cold and Galo shivered a bit, wondering what was happening to him. He thought he had gotten over this, he thought he had broken past this, so why was it that Kray’s word still affected him? He had started doing this with the hope he could find a way out.

Now, he was wondering if he was just falling deeper and deeper into Kray’s trap.

When they were done, Kray removed Galo from the shower before toweling himself off. He ignored Galo’s shivering and shaking form, ignored the way Galo curled onto himself for warmth. When Kray was sure every inch of his skin was dry, he pulled his uniform back on before turning his attention to Galo.

“Come here, Galo.” Kray crooked his finger and Galo swallowed before walking over. 

Kray watched him with dark eyes until Galo stood before him. He grabbed the new pants from the floor and held them up.

“Do you know why I got you pants like these, Galo?” Kray asked calmly.

Galo eyed the pants, confusion on his face.

“No?” Galo muttered.

“It’s so that at any time, in any place, anywhere, when I decide to take you, I don’t have to worry about stripping you down. Your body will be accessible to me anytime I desire you.” Kray explained.

Galo’s face went red and his heart started to hammer.

“I do have to thank Vulcan for his suggestion. Perhaps I will let him play with you, just a little, as a reward.” Kray said thoughtfully.

Galo’s eyes snapped to Kray, panic curling in his stomach.

“Kray, please don’t.” Galo whispered.

Kray turned to Galo and glared.

“Oh? If I remember correctly, I didn’t ask for your opinion, Galo.” Kray said darkly.

Galo’s mind raced and he blurted out the first thing he could think of.

“B-But what if he broke me? Th-Then all your hard work would be for nothing. I mean I still want to be useful to you, Kray.” Galo said quickly.

Kray paused and then looked at the pants again.

“B-Besides, didn't you say you didn’t share? If you did that, you would be sharing with Vulcan.” Galo continued.

“Enough.” Kray barked.

Galo snapped his mouth shut.

“I suppose you are right in a way. There are plenty of other ways to reward Vulcan, after all. It seems, for once, your brain is actually working.” Kray stated.

Galo let out a mental sigh of relief. His heart started to slow down and his chest didn’t feel so tight. Kray helped him put the pants on and he shivered a bit. The material was thin and after being cold for so long, Galo was finding himself leaning closer to Kray, just to soak up some of his warmth. When they started moving back towards Galo’s room, he wondered if he would get sick.

He couldn’t stop shaking and his throat still felt raw. His skin was fading back to it’s normal color, but being this cold wasn’t good for anyone.

“Kray?” Galo called as they entered the room again.

Kray idly turned his head, his eyes narrowed on Galo’s face.

“I’m cold.” he muttered.

“Cold? How curious. I thought you didn’t feel the cold due to your burning soul, Galo. Isn’t that the idiocy you always preached?” Kray demanded.

“I think I’m getting sick.” Galo admitted lightly.

Being sick is the only time Galo could remember actually feeling cold. Stress combined with whatever sexual and mental torture this was could explain why he was feeling ill. Kray hummed.

“How drole. I suppose I will have to figure something out then.” Kray said calmly.

Kray walked over to the chain and though Galo didn’t want to, he let himself be chained back up. He swallowed hard as the smell of decay washed over him. He must have gotten used to it while being in the room, but now that he had cleared his sinuses with some fresh air, it burned his nose.

“Kray, the corpse?” Galo asked as Kray turned to leave.

Kray paused at the doorway and glanced at him.

“I will have someone come clean it up later.” he replied before the door slammed shut behind him.

No one ever came.

Lio tapped his foot as he stood outside the hospital. They could do nothing until next week when Vulcan would come get the next hand off from his mother. Lucia had tapped into the phone lines and Vulcan had asked her to gather him some highly explosive chemicals. It looked like they were still gathering materials for their attack on the city, which was good. That meant they still had time to find and stop Kray. But then Vulcan had asked for something that made their blood collectively run cold.

A highly addictive drug. According to Remi, even one dose was enough to have someone addicted for life. Those chemicals were extremely hard to find since Kray had cracked down on it years ago, but if they got their hands on it, the team had no doubt it would be used on Galo or even the citizens of the city.

Lio shook his head and turned his attention back to the hospital. They had been staking it out ever since figuring out this could be where Galo was being held. Gueira was watching the back entrance while Meis kept an eye on the roof. They wanted to see if they could find anything, anything at all that told them Galo was here, but so far, nothing.

Lucia had even tried to hack the computer system, but the firewall was a lot stronger than she expected. She was still working on it last time Lio spoke to her. Lio rubbed his eyes, wondering what would happen after all this was over. What would happen when they found Kray? When they found Galo? He couldn’t just hand Kray off to the authorities again, they had been the ones to lose him the first time!

“Maybe, we just finish him off.” Lio muttered darkly to himself.

It would fix their problem, after all. With Kray dead and buried, they would never have to worry about him again.

“Boss, I got movement!” Meis said over the radio.

“What is it? What do you see?” Lio demanded.

“It looks like… is that Vulcan? Shit, it’s Vulcan! He just landed on the roof, went in through the staircase!” Meis replied.

Lio’s chest burned. He could easily storm the hospital. He had been a wanted terrorist at one time. People still ran away at the sight of him. He could storm the hospital, track Vulcan down and beat the information out of him. He clenched his fist, waiting for the familiar feeling of fire at his fingertips, but there was none. The sudden realization that his promare was gone had never hit him so hard. In his mind, he knew it was gone, had been for months now, but suddenly, when he needed his firepower the most and he didn’t have it, it became a crushing blow.

How could he take on Vulcan? They knew he had gotten new armor based off the video they saw. If he went in there and tried to fight Vulcan, there was a good chance he would lose and then what? That would be it, that would be the end. The end of the city, the end of him and the end of Galo.

“Boss? What’s the plan?” Gueira asked.

His own weakness burned him.

“Stick with the original plan. Stake out the hospital until the next drop off.” Lio replied through clenched teeth.

It was silent for a while and he knew they were struggling with their own desire to make Vulcan hurt, but finally they replied.

“Yes, Boss.” they chorused and Lio swallowed.

When he finally got his hands on Kray and Vulcan, he was going to make sure they suffered.

Vulcan stepped into the room and saluted, eyes tracing over the screen on the wall before him. Kray sat in his chair, idly sipping his wine as he watched Galo sleep.

“Status report?” Kray asked.

Vulcan grinned.

“The fake Vulcan just confirmed your beliefs. They are staking out the hospital.” Vulcan said with a chuckle.

Kray nodded his head.

“Excellent. They are playing along right as I expected.” Kray sipped his wine.

“And my shipment?” Kray asked.

“Already ready to be collected. My brother out did himself with this one.” Vulcan said with delight.

“Oh? Do tell.” Kray asked, finally turning to Vulcan.

“He found a supplier that was willing to sell us almost two tons of the stuff. We have enough explosives to blow this city sky high!” Vulcan cackled, pleased.

Kray nodded along as Vulcan calmed himself.

“And the other shipment?” Kray asked.

“We were lucky. My other brother managed to find a whole store room that was never cleaned out after the fire. We have enough of that drug to kill an entire herd of elephants.” Vulcan replied.

Vulcan paused however, eyes darting to the screen again.

“Pardon my question, Sir, but what do we need that drug for? I thought you said the brat was crumbling exactly how you anticipated?” Vulcan asked.

Kray turned back to the screen and finished his wine.

“Galo, you will find, is a lot harder to break than I believed. Once he figures out the city is in danger, he will attempt everything in his power to stop it. I believed originally that simply breaking him and molding him into the perfect pet would keep him from doing anything rash. Now, I am not so sure. Galo has proven me wrong once before and I do not wish for a repeat performance, especially with our victory so close at hand.” Kray placed the glass down and stood up.

“Therefore, he will be drugged until the city is back under my control. After all, I am not above using drugs to get what I want. It certainly worked out with keeping the burnish under control.” Kray explained.

Vulcan nodded along. Made sense to him he supposed.

“I’ll make sure to have the drug posthaste then.” Vulcan replied.

“Good, you are dismissed.” Kray stated.

Vulcan saluted again and walked off as Kray watched Galo wake up on the screen. He saw the way Galo sat up, looked at his hands and slumped his shoulders. Everything was coming along nicely. The Burning Rescue team and Lio Fortia were out there, chasing their own tails, Galo’s training was coming along smoothly and soon, the city would be back under his control. Kray felt a wave of satisfaction go through him and decided it was time for some quality time with his favorite blue haired pet.

His smile stretched across his face as he turned away from the screen, his cock twitching in his pants. Maybe this time, he would finally pluck the fruit he had denied himself. Galo would one day learn that Kray’s attentions were something he should carve with his whole body, not something he should shy away from.

“I’m sure he will learn that lesson in time.” Kray chuckled.


	2. When The Storm Clears

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What is left? Lio finds Vulcan and he leads them to Galo. But Lio has to wonder if it's already too late.

Galo woke up with the strangest feeling in his chest. Like something was wrong and he needed to be cautious. Usually, he ignored such a thing, nothing could harm his burning soul after all! But the situation was different this time. This wasn’t a raging inferno or a mad burnish attack. This was Kray. This was Kray who was trying to force Galo to the point of breaking and Galo wasn’t sure how much more he could fight.

It didn’t help that he had no idea what day it was. How long had he been here? Days? Weeks? Months? It didn’t feel like months, but then again, without a calendar, how would he know? He wondered how his team was doing. Were they looking for him? He assumed they would be, but what about their jobs? Protecting the city was their main concern right now, they couldn’t afford to waste time and resources looking for him.

Galo pressed back against the wall and stared at the ceiling. Something was wrong with him, he could feel it in his soul. Had Kray managed to crack him already? Galo thought about it for a moment, biting his lip. His burning soul had always quieted around Kray, force of habit from years of doing what Kray needed and wanted him to do. Was he using that to his advantage?

Kray had called it ‘training’ and maybe that’s what it was. Maybe he was just slipping into old habits because that’s all he knew. Maybe he really was the dumb dog Kray kept calling him.

“What am I doing?” Galo snarled.

He had to stop thinking like this, had to stop believing everything was hopeless. Since when did he, the Great Galo Thymos, act this way? He was submitting to Kray to get the fuck out of here, to give his team time to find him, and to make sure Kray didn’t kill him before any of that happened. That was all this was, nothing more. Galo looked up when the door opened and his eyes narrowed. He would get out of here, mark his words.

Lio tapped his foot, feeling impatient. Lucia had finally, finally, hacked the computer at the hospital and now they were scanning floor by floor, trying to find any sign of Kray, Vulcan or Galo. So far, nothing and that was making Lio more than a little irritated.

“We saw him go inside yesterday! How is he not there!” Gueira snapped.

Lucia huffed and glared at him.

“Plenty of reasons! Maybe you only thought you saw him!” Lucia snapped back.

Gueira looked about ready to rip her head off when Ignis walked in.

“Enough out of you two. We need to focus. Lucia, you don’t see Vulcan on any of the cameras? At all?” Ignis demanded.

“Not today, not yesterday, not last week! He never appears, even when we know he’s there.” Lucia growled.

Lio frowned, foot going still.

“Lucia, we saw Vulcan enter from the roof yesterday afternoon. Can you go back to that time?” Lio asked.

Lucia clicked a few buttons and they were staring at the door. A man opened the door, but it was not Vulcan. He didn’t look anything like Vulcan, but he did seem suspicious. He clearly didn’t belong there, shifting nervously from the place on top of the stairs before he pulled out his phone and started to talk. Lio’s eyes narrowed and he leaned in. Lio read the words on his lips and felt his face pale.

“We’ve been had. The hospital isn’t Kray’s base.” Lio snarled.

There was a burning rage under his skin. Hotter than any fire he had ever set. Ignis looked shocked.

“What do you mean?” Gueira demanded.

“I’m reading his lips. He’s telling them about where we are on the property.” Lio replied.

“So what?” Lucia asked confused.

“If Kray was actually there and that was his base, this guy would be panicking. Instead, he’s calm, like that’s exactly what he was told would happen.” Lio said quietly.

He pulled back away from the screen as Lucia paused it. The man’s face staring up at the cameras and Lio burned it into his mind’s eye. He would find this man.

Galo gasped as he was slammed against the wall, his body held tightly by Kray’s hands and chest. He could barely breathe much less move, Kray sucking the air out of his lungs with every kiss. Kray’s hands gripped at him, tore at his skin and the thin material of his pants. This was different than Kray’s usual advances. Frantic in a way Galo had never seen in Kray before. He seemed almost giddy.

Galo felt Kray cupped his ass and panic set in. He pulled his face away from Kray’s struggling to get air back into his lungs.

“Kray! Kray, wait, please wait!” Galo begged.

Kray paused and Galo shuddered as those red eyes locked him into place.

“And here I thought we were finally getting somewhere, Galo.” Kray growled and Galo froze.

Kray got off him and while Galo mentally breathed a sigh of relief, it was short lived. The fist in his hair almost made him scream as Kray dragged him to the center of the room. The hook returned to his cuffs and he was hanging by his arms again. The look in Kray’s eyes was evil and cruel and Galo shivered.

“Why is it that even the most simple things you can’t seem to do right? All you have to do is just stay quiet and you can’t even do that right.” Kray hissed.

Galo stuttered and stumbled over his words as Kray walked over to a wall that had seemed perfectly harmless until Kray pressed his thumb against it. The wall slid open and Galo stared at the table of items that appeared. Everything from long, sharp looking knives to what Galo thought might be a cattle brand covered the table and Galo’s stomach twisted in knots as Kray’s hand ran along the items.

“K-Kray?” Galo called.

“I have considered removing your tongue, but I found it rather enjoyable the other day. Perhaps I can get you some sort of collar that presses down on your throat or maybe I can find someone to remove your voicebox. That would certainly shut you up.” Kray stated as he grabbed a wicked looking blade and ran his thumb over it.

Galo started to tremble, he could actually see his reflection in the blade and felt his stomach drop. Kray put the blade down and Galo shagged in his chains in relief. However, his hand drifted to another item and Galo watched him pick it up. It looked like a whip, but a short one with multiple long tails. Kray nodded, as if coming to some sort of conclusion as he walked back over.

“Kray?” Galo muttered as Kray walked around him.

The first hit came quickly and Galo yelped. Kray didn’t give him even a second to breathe, bring it down again and again. And Galo? He screamed, screamed until his voice broke, until he couldn’t even scream anymore, until the tears rolled down his face hard and heavy, until his eyes rolled back in his head, until Galo could feel the blood rolling down his back and dripping onto the floor. 

Kray paused and Galo could hear him panting heavily. Galo’s body jerked and he whined as Kray’s cold hand pressed against the burning, bleeding marks. He smeared the blood with twisted glee and Galo hung limp, slipping into unconsciousness.

“Perhaps when you wake up, you’ll realize.” Kray stated to Galo’s limp body.

The man the team tracked down turned out to be a former Freeze Force member, a guard who worked at the burnish jail when Lio broke everyone out. At first, he refused to admit anything, saying he knew nothing, going so far as to insult and mock them, despite the evidence they had. He changed his tone when Varys demonstrated his super strength by bending one of the training bars in half with his bare hands. Suddenly, he didn’t seem so cocky.

The plan, he stated, was simple. Keep the Burning Rescue running around the city, chasing after phantoms until Kray was ready to strike and take back control. Ignis had almost blown a gasket, but Lio had asked the question they were all wondering.

“Is Galo with Kray?” Lio demanded.

The man eyed the bent piece of metal again before nodding.

“Why? Why did Kray take Galo?” Lio demanded.

The man swallowed hard.

“He wanted to break him. He said the city would crumble if they saw their hero broken.” he admitted.

Lio’s stomach dropped to his knees.

“What do you mean broken?” Aina demanded, but her voice shook.

“I heard… Vulcan talking. He has Galo under lock and key. The last guard that went into his room ended up dead. Kray killed him for touching what was his.” the man stated.

“Galo’s not a thing! He’s a human being!” Meis snapped.

“As far as Kray is concerned, he’s just some toy for him to use.” the other replied.

Lio couldn’t listen anymore. His worst fears were being realized. His dream flashed in his head, Galo broken and kneeling by Kray’s feet. Shattered beyond repair. He turned and left, not willing to listen a second more.

He walked the halls of the station, wondering what they were going to do. Kray had control over Galo for close to three weeks now. Three weeks was a long time for someone to be tortured. Hell, he had met people who broke after two days if it was bad enough. Kray was a monster, he couldn’t imagine what kind of cruelty he would unleash on Galo.

He stopped before Galo’s locker and placed a hand on the door. What if Galo was already gone? His soul was strong, Lio knew that for a fact, had seen it with his own two eyes, but Kray knew Galo. Kray had helped mold Galo into who he was. He knew the cracks in Galo’s mind and soul. Lio pressed his forehead against the locker and clenched his eyes shut.

Galo woke up cold and shivering. His body was still hanging by his arms and when he moved, his back didn’t just ache, it burned. He hissed as he tried to stop moving, pulling on the barely healed skin. A clank made him look up and see Kray was watching him, sitting in his chair, a glass of wine in hand.

“Finally woke up, I see.” Kray stated and Galo said nothing.

Talking had caused him pain last time. He didn’t dare repeat himself. Pleased, Kray stood up and walked over, wine in one hand and he cupped Galo’s cheek with the other.

“It doesn’t have to be this hard, you know. Causing you pain isn’t something that brings me pleasure.” Kray stated.

Galo knew it was a bullshit lie, the wild look Kray got in his eyes every time he hurt Galo told him more than Kray’s mouth ever could. The hand moved down his cheek to his throat and paused for a moment. Galo could only imagine what colored bruises covered his neck by now. He swallowed and he felt Kray’s hand tighten slightly before releasing and moving on.

The fingers trailed down his chest and Galo shivered. Kray’s hand was so warm compared to his cold, clammy skin. He was sure he had never been so cold in his life.

“Tell me, Galo, are you scared?” Kray asked as his sipped his wine again.

Galo stared at him.

“Yes.” Galo admitted.

There was no heistantion, no lie, Galo was scared. He was scared that Kray would rape him or kill him. That Kray was already one step closer to breaking him than Galo knew. Kray had all the power in the world over Galo right now and Galo was dumb, but he wasn’t stupid. Kray could end his life and no one would save him. Kray hummed as his hand trailed lower and Galo squeezed his eyes shut as they stopped at Galo’s belly button.

“You know I have been rather accommodating, don’t you, Galo? I could have taken you a million times by now, but I haven’t. Do you know why?” Kray asked sweetly.

Galo shook his head, not sure his voice would even work right now. Kray grabbed the edge of his pants and with a jerk of his wrist, the pants came off, leaving Galo naked. There was something about being so vulnerable around a man who had just whipped you that made even the toughest soul shiver in fear.

“To be honest with you, Galo, I am not quite sure myself. I could take you any way I desire, bend you against any wall and pluck that last bit of innocence you have.” Kray said conversationally.

Galo shuddered and tried to move away, but he had no strength left to do so. His stomach growled despite his pain and he winced when Kray chuckled.

“But, I do believe it will be so much sweeter when you finally give in. When you finally beg me to fuck you, it will be that moment, and that moment alone, when I know you won’t betray me again.” Kray finished.

“I won't beg.” Galo whispered.

Kray paused and slowly looked up at him.

“You won’t? Are you sure about that, Galo? You all, but begged me the other day in the shower.” Kray said coldly.

“I’ll kill myself before I do.” Galo replied.

Galo wasn’t even sure where that came from, but now that he said it, he knew it was true. He would kill himself before he begged Kray to touch him like that. He had never considered it before, had never fallen into that deep, dark place that he heard some people fell into. Suicide had never even crossed his mind. Now? He was suddenly understanding the appeal.

“And you think I will let you die? That’s quite naive of you.” Kray said.

His voice was full of rage though. Galo just closed his eyes and said nothing.

Lio crossed his arms and stared. Before him was the map of the city. The man had told them, truthfully and honestly, that he’d never been to the place where they were holding Galo. Very few people knew where it was, Vulcan being one. However, he did have a direct line to Vulcan and that is what they were tracking. So far, Vulcan hadn’t answered, but when he did, they would know where he was. Lio wasn’t going to let this new lead go. They would just keep calling until they did get through.

Galo spat the blood onto the floor, head throbbing, as Kray circled him again. The beating was swift and severe and Galo wondered if Kray had finally snapped. As far as Galo knew, he had left for only a few hours before coming back in a rage. Something had happened, something had changed and Kray was furious.

“Your team just can’t let things lie, can they?” Kray said hotly as he slapped Galo in the face.

Galo paused. This was the first time Kray had even mentioned them without prompting. Galo swallowed and glanced at him.

“Wh-What did they… do?” he coughed and choked, blood in his throat.

Kray paused and looked down at Galo, eyes narrowed.

“They insist on getting in my way. Their pathetic attempts to clean up this city are truly revolting.” Kray stated.

Galo’s eyes narrowed. There had to be more to his anger than just that.

“They are hunting you, aren’t they?” Galo asked.

His tone was mocking and Kray backhanded him in the face, making him cry out.

“You think I care about some insignificant ants? You honestly believe I care what they are doing?” Kray hissed.

Galo chuckled.

“But you do and it’s pissing you off. I bet Lio is tearing down your obstacles faster than you can put them up. He’s coming for you, just like he did before.” Galo said.

There was a fire burning in his stomach. Just the thought that Lio was on his way, that Lio was coming for him re-ignited something inside him. Galo smiled and Kray saw red. Galo lost track of what happened after that. Lost track of time and what Kray did to him. It was only when the door slammed shut behind Kray and the table full of tools chattered loudly did Galo finally came back to himself.

Everything was sore, everything hurt and nothing he did made it feel any better. Galo’s eyes drifted over to the corpse in the corner and he stared.

Lio stood in the shadows, watching the area below. They had finally gotten in contact with Vulcan. His little friend had begged for a meeting and Vulcan had agreed, but only if they could meet near the crash site. As the street light flickered, the man stood there.

“Yo.” Vulcan called as he stepped out of the darkness.

“Vulcan Sir.” the man saluted and Vulcan scuffed.

“What is it? I don’t have time for this.” Vulcan said, arms crossed.

That’s when they pounced. Ignis and Varys was on Vulcan in seconds, pinning him to the ground. He yelled, tried to fight, but Lio stood before him, gun in hand and eyes cold.

“Where is Kray?” Lio demanded.

Galo woke up again and realized he was moving. The ceiling above him was moving quickly and he realized he was laying on some sort of table. He tilted his head back to see Kray pushing him along.

“Where…?” Galo mumbled.

Kray glanced down at him.

“I believed it was time for a change in scenery. If you are good, you won’t need to return to your room.” Kray stated.

Galo swallowed and his mouth felt ridiculously dry. His body ached, his skin felt raw and sensitive and he was still so cold. His eyes drifted shut against his will.

“Ah ah ah, no sleeping now, Galo.” Kray roughly shook his awake and Galo could have cried.

He was so tired. Everything felt so far away. He had to have some sort of brain damage to feel this way. Now that he thought about it, he wasn’t really hungry anymore. He had stopped feeling hunger a while ago.

“Kray, I don’t feel good.” Galo tried to close his eyes again and Kray growled.

“Stay. Awake. Galo.” Kray demanded.

It hurt. Galo didn’t want to be awake anymore. He wanted to sleep, fall into sweet unconsciousness and ignore his pain. 

“Galo, your punishment will be severe if you do not keep your eyes open. I am trying to be nice.” Kray commanded through clenched teeth.

Galo forced himself to open his eyes, staring up at the ceiling as they kept moving. They stopped at a door and when they went inside, Galo was startled to see a large room with an even larger bed. Panic and fear started to pool in his stomach and for a moment, Galo actually thought about crying.

“Relax Galo, you weren’t moved here for that.” Kray stated.

Galo was unstrapped from the table and helped to his feet. The polish carpet under his feet felt heavenly. The room was warm and Galo sighed as his body, which had been so cold for so long, started to warm up a bit. Kray moved away from him and Galo stumbled a bit as his body struggled to keep himself up right without his support. 

Kray walked over to a chair next to a fireplace and sat down. Next to him was a table with a tray on it. Galo’s mouth watered.

“Come here, Galo.” Kray commanded.

Galo paused, but there really was nowhere to go and the fire looked so damn warm. He walked over to where Kray was and knelt down. The fire soothed his cold body and he melted. A hand on his head forced him to lay his head against Kray’s thigh and Galo just sat there. He stared at the fire, getting lost in the heat and ever changing colors.

He had never found comfort in fire. His brain raced with all the ways a fire could go out of control, cause harm, destroy property, etc. But right now? The fire reminded him of home. Reminded him of his team and Lio, especially Lio. How Lio seemed to light up a room by just walking in it. He was a walking fire, one Galo never wanted to see put out.

Kray tapped on his forehead and Galo looked up, breaking out of his trance. A piece of food was held out to him and he devoured it without care. He was so hungry, so fucking hungry that he didn’t even feel hungry anymore. Kray fed him piece by piece and soon Galo was full. Warm and with a full belly, Galo was struggling to stay awake even more.

“Tell me, Galo, do you understand why I brought you here?” Kray asked.

Galo blinked slowly. He wasn’t even sure he could make a full sentence if he tried.

“No.” Galo finally said.

“It’s to show you what you are missing. A warm bed, a safe place to rest, good food, all of it could be your’s, Galo.” Kray stated.

So, that was it. He had shown Galo would would happen if Galo kept going against him and now he was showing Galo what he would get for submitting. Galo thought about protesting, thought about getting up, but he couldn’t get his body to move. It was shutting down on him, refusing to listen to any mental commands. Galo sniffled as the hand returned in his hair, petting him slowly and softly as he cried.

Lio glared at Vulcan, hatred rolling in his stomach. Even stripped of his armor, Vulcan refused to talk or listen to them. He ranted, raved and yelled, made a scene and refused to answer any questions. Lio was about to lose his damn mind of this kept up.

“Enough!” Ignis roared.

Vulcan went quiet, but glared at Ignis with cold, red eyes.

“I don’t have to listen to shit from you, Ignis! You and your pathetic wannabe Freeze Force team!” Vulcan snarled.

Ignis got in his face and their eyes locked, electricity sparking between them.

“This ain’t some pissing contest, Vulcan. You are talking about hundreds of lives here. We know about the explosives and we know about the drugs. We know all about your little plan.” Ignis replied.

“Then you should know there’s no way to stop it!” Vulcan said with a wicked grin.

“What does that mean!” Remi demanded.

Vulcan sneered at him.

“The explosives are already in place. The drugs are already in Foresight’s hands. This city will fall!” Vulcan cackled with delight.

Lio’s stomach twisted. The explosives had already been handed off? When! He locked eyes with Lucia, who paled and started typing into her computer.

“So that’s it then?” Ignis asked.

Vulcan paused, staring at him funny.

“Of course! Did you honestly think we didn’t know you were trying to track us! Ha! You all are as simpleminded as they come!” Vulcan said grinning.

“So I guess you don’t care about your family then.” Ignis said.

Vulcan snorted.

“My family knows what needs to happen! They are happy to give their lives for the cause!” Vulcan replied.

Lio swallowed and he saw the same looks of disgust and horror on the rest of the team’s faces as well. They couldn’t believe this man would be willing to sacrifice his own family for Kray’s goals.

“And Galo? Is this all just revenge?” Ignis asked.

Vulcan started to snicker and then laughed uproariously. 

“You! You all are really stupid! Jesus!” he laughed.

Lio had had enough. He stormed over to the chair, pushed Ignis out of the way and slammed his foot on Vulcan’s chair, getting in his face.

“What did you do to Galo?” Lio snarled.

Vulcan continued to snicker as if it were funny and leaned in really close.

“You know, I bet he’ll moan really pretty when Foresight finally decides to fuck him. He certainly made some nice sounds when Kray had him in the shower.” Vulcan whispered.

All the noise in Lio’s head suddenly went quiet. All the terrifying imagines and horrible thoughts stopped dead There was nothing, but white noise.

“Boss! Boss, stop!” Gueira’s voice cut through his haze. 

He blinked once and when he opened his eyes again, Vulcan was on the floor, face bloodied and bruised. Lio’s knuckles actually ached from how hard he had slammed his fist into his face. He was pretty sure he not only broke Vulcan’s nose, but completely obliterated it. His wrist was held by Ignis, Meis and Gueira standing beside him, trying to calm him down. The blood pumping through Lio’s veins had never made him feel more alive.

“You will tell me where Kray is.” Lio said coldly.

“F-Fuck you!” Vulcan whimpered.

Lio slammed his foot into Vulcan’s chest and pressed his heel in.

“You will tell me where Kray is.” Lio repeated, eyes wild.

“Lio.” Remi called, not sure what was going on.

“Boss, you need to calm down.” Meis said quietly.

“I will calm down when he tells me where Kray is.” Lio replied coldly.

“Like hell I’ll tell you anything!” Vulcan spat.

Lio lifted his leg up and slammed it down on him again and they all heard the crack of his ribs breaking along with his cry of pain.

“You misunderstand me. I am not asking. You WILL tell me where Kray is, even if I have to drag that information out of your cold, dead corpse.” Lio said slowly.

“Boss, please!” Gueira hissed.

“He might die!” Meis continued.

“I DON’T CARE IF HE DIES. HE CAN BURN IN HELL FOR ALL I CARE. TELL ME WHERE KRAY IS, NOW!” Lio roared.

He had never felt so wild. Never felt so out of his mind. To have his worst fears confirmed, to know that Kray was abusing Galo sexually made something inside him snap.

“I thought you said burnish don’t kill!” Aina said.

“We aren’t burnish anymore! The promare is gone!” Lio’s scream echoed throughout the station and he stood there, shaking.

“The promare is gone and if I lose Galo too, I’ll go fucking insane. So tell me where Kray is. Tell me where Galo is. Just tell me!” Lio demanded.

It was quiet and Lio thought Vulcan would stay quiet before he spoke.

“He’s planning on moving soon. He believes that tomorrow afternoon would be the right time to strike.” Vulcan finally said.

Lio swallowed.

“Where is he hiding?” Ignis asked.

“The old Foresight Foundation building. There is a sublevel that no one knew about. It has its own power source that Kray created years ago and kept for himself. It’s completely self-sufficient.” Vulcan stated.

“How do we get in there?” Lio said taking a step back.

Galo sat by Kray’s feet until he physically couldn’t anymore. He remembered, vaguely, falling to his side, his eyes drifting closed despite Kray demanding he stay awake. He woke up in his room again, colder than he was before. The smell of decay was overwhelming, but Galo was numb to it all.

He wondered if this was his limit. He certainly felt like it was. His brain felt raw, empty and unfeeling. Like all the life had been sucked out of him. He didn’t want to think about Kray, about the city, about his team. He just wanted to slip into blissful darkness and never come back.

He twitched slightly and his back burned. He could feel his skin peeling, the marks opening up again and he shuddered as tears welt up. It hurt so much. He wanted the pain to stop. He wanted it all to stop.

“Kray?” Galo called.

There was no reply. He didn’t expect one. He slowly sat up, his arms straining against his own weight.

“Kray! Kray, I know you can hear me.” Galo yelled.

He slowly got to his feet. He swayed slightly, focusing himself to make his stance wider to keep himself from falling over. He stared at the door at the end of the room before turning his attention to the table Kray had left out. He hadn’t even bothered to put all his tools back, one knife lay on the floor. Galo stared at it.

“Kray, you won. You hear me? You won!” Galo let out a barking laugh.

He felt insane. His mind was a mess. He couldn’t do this anymore. He couldn’t be strong like he wanted to be. Lio would be so disappointed in him, but he just couldn’t do it. He walked over to where the table was, but the chain around his ankle stopped him short. He got on the floor and held his bound hands out.

He used the handcuffs to pull the blade closer until he could feel the cold metal against his arm. A little maneuvering and Galo had the knife in his arms. He got up and moved back to his bed, sitting there as he stared at it. This was his only way out, wasn’t it? No one had come to find him, no one had come to save him, he was alone. The tears fell onto the blade, but Galo didn’t care anymore.

The first slice barely cut into his arm. The angle was off and it just shaved off skin. Galo hissed, but tried again. The next cut was deeper, harder, but still not enough. The third cut was even deeper and Galo started to feel light headed. He dropped onto the mattress and closed his eyes. If this was the end, that was fine. Everything was fine now.

Lio watched as Varys busted down the entrance with his mecha and felt vicious satisfaction when the guards had no time to react. His motorcycle roared and he ripped past Varys and Remi taking on the Freeze Force. He dodged the bullets that rained down on him, Ignis in his car right in front him.

“Just keep going, don’t stop!” Ignis yelled when he was blocked off.

Lio roared his engine again, Gueira and Mies right behind him as they tore past. He tore through the halls that Vulcan had drawn them a map of. He knew where Galo’s room should be located, but not exactly. Lio only hoped he was right.

“Boss, look!” Gueira yelled.

They found a long hallway with a single door, just like Vulcan had stated and stopped. Lio tore himself off the bike and looked at the door. It had a scanner on the door, but Lio just placed one of Lucia’s toys against it and heard the scanner beep.

“Galo!” Lio threw open the door and then stopped.

For a moment, Lio could only look Kray Foresight in the eyes and feel rage. The man stood there, arms behind his back as if they weren’t standing in some sort of twisted torture chamber. The smell of blood and decay was strong and Lio noted there was a corpse in the corner. It wasn’t Galo’s, thank god.

“Hm, I was wondering why Vulcan wasn’t answering my calls. I suppose this answers that question.” Kray said boredly.

A soft groan made Lio glance down and his heart squeezed. Galo lay on a bare mattress on the floor, his body looked sickly and covered in bruises.

“Leave him alone, Kray.” Lio hissed angrily.

Gueira and Meis were beside him and Kray idly stared at them before shrugging.

“You should be more concerned about what he did to himself.” Kray stated.

He grabbed Galo by the cuffs and forced his body up. That’s when Lio saw the blood. It ran down Galo’s arm like a waterfall and Lio could only stare in horror.

“Galo?” he whispered.

“It seems poor Galo here wanted it all to end. Why, I bet he’ll be shocked speechless when I tell him that you actually did come after all. He didn’t think you would.” Kray said calmly.

“Boss.” Meis whispered.

Lio turned his head and mentally cursed. There were guards at the door and they had no choice, but to put their hands up. Kray watched this all with amusement as he dropped Galo back onto the bed.

“Did you really think you could just storm my base and not find trouble? Surely you are not that stupid.” Kray sneered.

“Just let him go, Kray. Haven’t you done enough?” Lio hissed.

His arms were grabbed and handcuffed behind his back. He was forced to his knees, his gun pulled from his waistband. Kray watched this all before sighing deeply.

“I had hoped to have more time. Pity.” Kray said boredly.

Gueira growled next to him and Lio wished he could do the same. 

“It’s over, Kray. Lucia is tracking the explosives as we speak. We’ve already warned the city council. The city will be evacuated. You've lost.” Lio explained.

Kray hummed lightly before his hand reached out. With a choked cry, he dragged Galo to his knees before dragging him off the bed. He walked over to where Lio and his generals were kneeling, dragging Galo without a care before dropping him. Galo fell face first, unable to even catch himself. Those blurry blue eyes opened for a moment and locked with Lio’s. He saw a spark, a faint one, before it went out.

“Galo here has been quite difficult. Every time I think we’ve made a little progress, he somehow regains a backbone. I have no idea if it’s your fault or the Burning Rescue’s, but it stops now.” Kray said calmly.

He lifted his foot up and brought it down on Galo’s back, grinding his heel into the marks. Galo’s eyes snapped open with tears and he screamed before he went limp. Lio was sure those screams would echo in his head for the rest of his life.

“Kray!” Lio snarled.

“You think you’ve bested me. You think you’ve stopped me, but really, this is only the beginning. You can try all you want to stop me, but you have to make a choice, Lio Fortia.” Kray pulled back, grabbed Galo by the hair again and forced him up to his knees.

For the first time, Lio got a good look at Galo and his heart sunk. His body looked pale and weak, his ribs sticking out and his stomach caved in. His chest was covered in bruises and marks, his shoulders a map of pain. His cheeks were shrunken in along with his eyes and he looked so tired.

“The city? Or Galo? You won’t be able to save both. So pick one. The city and your people, or Galo?” Kray said and when he smirked, Lio saw red.

“Kray!” Lio hissed.

“Come no, Lio, time is ticking. The city or Galo? It’s a simple choice.” Kray moved his hand, forcing Galo to sway to and fro and Galo whimpered.

It was such a soft, broken sound. Lio choked on his rage. Galo shouldn’t sound like that, shouldn’t sound so broken and lost like that. Lio wanted to rip him away from Kray’s clutches and take him somewhere safe.

“I will not ask again, Lio Fortia. The city or Galo? Make your choice.” Kray growled.

“The city.” Galo whispered.

Kray’s eyes slide down to Galo and he stared.

“Oh? What was that, Galo? I didn’t quite hear you.” Kray asked, but his voice was no curious, it was enraged.

Galo’s eyes drifted up to Kray and he stared at Kray with blue eyes so deep that he could swallow a ship in them.

“The city, Kray. Lio choses the city.” Galo whispered.

Kray paused and then sent Galo flying. His head hit the wall with a solid crack and his body slumped to the floor.

“I don’t remember asking the dog for his opinion, do you, Lio?” Kray asked simply.

“Kray, you’re going to kill him!” Lio said desperately.

Galo’s arm was still bleeding, he couldn’t imagine how much blood Galo had lost, but he knew that Galo was on the edge of death. He needed to get Galo out of here before that happened.

“If I do or not, does it really matter? Galo is as worthless as they come. A stupid, pitiful mutt who can’t even be bothered to be loyal to one master.” Kray said shrugging.

“You fucking asshole!” Gueira snarled.

There was the sound of someone moving and Lio looked over to see one of the guards hit Gueira in the back of the head, his head jerked, but he glared at the man over his shoulder.

“I do have to wonder, Lio, have you tasted him? Truly, I wasn’t expecting to like him when I did, but I did find it rather refreshing. I always did find it funny for how much he ran around shirtless, he was as pure as freshly fallen snow. You would think with the way he dressed, he would have bent over for every cock in the city.” Kray explained and Lio grit his teeth so hard, he tasted blood.

“I swear to god, Kray, if you’ve hurt him…” Lio hissed.

“Hurt him? Come now, Lio, certainly you understand that’s the only way dumb animals like him learn, correct? Sometimes you have to force things to happen the way you want them to.” Kray replied.

Lio wanted to scream, wanted to tell Kray to fuck off, but he knew that would only lead to more trouble. Kray nodded his head and Lio was dragged to his feet. He was being dragged from the room and Kray was turning his attention once again to Galo and if Galo was left alone with Kray again, there was no stopping him from hurting Galo even more and something clicked.

“ **KRAY FORESIGHT!** ” Lio howled like a banshee as his body exploded into flames.

The guard holding him howled in pain as the fire ripped through his armor, destroying it completely, his flesh burning underneath. The cuffs melted like cheap plastic and Lio shot forward like a shooting star. Kray saw him coming, but there was nothing he could do. Lio had him pinned against the other wall and though the smell of burning flesh burned his nose, he didn’t dare stop.

The Mad Burnish did not kill, but Lio Fortia was willing to make an exception one time. Kray screeched his pain for all to hear and Lio felt a wave of absolute bliss come over him. This. This is what Kray Foresight deserved. No jail time or petty community service. Just pure, flat torture, just like the torture he had unleashed on so many innocent people. Lio was ready to burn him to a crisp when he felt someone press against his back.

“Lio. Stop.” Galo’s voice was so soft, barely more than a whisper, but Lio’s flames stopped.

Like someone had just pulled his plug, the flames died. His rage ended and he let Kray, badly burned and moaning in pain, drop to the floor. He stared at the hands that had once been wrapped in flames and as he stood there, he heard the faint giggling before the Promare disappeared again.

Lio let out a breath and then heard a thud. He turned quickly and found Galo on the floor.

“Galo! Galo, shit!” Lio knelt down.

He glanced at Meis and Gueira to find the guards were taken care of. Probably knock off their feet when Lio had erupted and the generals had taken advantage. He turned his attention back to Galo and stared at him. He was so pale, deathly pale and Lio feared the worst.

“We need to go!” Lio snapped.

Lio wasn’t sure where the strength came from, maybe it was desperation or maybe Galo had lost that much weight, but he picked Galo up and booked it. Their motorcycles were still where they left them and Lio slid onto his with Galo on his lap. He roared off, knowing Meis and Gueira would follow.

“Lio, what’s going on over there?” Ignis demanded, his voice coming over the radio attached to Lio’s bike.

“We got Galo! He needs help! Kray has been taken care of.” Lio reported back.

Galo moaned against his shoulder and Lio shivered. He felt so cold.

“Taken care of? Good. Meet back at the entrance.” Ignis replied.

“On our way.” Gueira stated.

Lio focused on driving. He plowed through any Freeze Force members that tried to stop them. He didn’t even care if he ran someone over. If they were working for Kray, they deserved it.

“Boss, straight ahead!” Gueira yelled.

The entrance was looming before them, Varys, Ignis and Remi standing guard. Lio shot right past them, heading for the plane that Aina was piloting.

“Hatch is open!” Aina yelled when she saw them.

Lio was grateful she knew what they needed. He drove right up the ramp and dropped the bike as soon as he got off. He could care less about a few scratches. Ignis darted onto the ship, yelling at Lucia to drive his car back to the station remotely as he came over.

“Shit.” Ignis muttered as he knelt down.

Lio placed Galo on the floor, but made sure to cradle his head. The first thing Ignis did was take off the cuffs and Lio winced at the sight of Galo’s rubbed raw wrists.

“Get me gauze, bandages, rags, the whole nine yards.” Ignis barked.

Meis and Gueira rushed to get him everything as Lio held Galo’s head and Aina piloted the plane. Lio was thankful suddenly for Galo pushing them to take those med classes and learn about the mechas the team used, insisting that it was always good to be prepared. Ignis started first with the large cut on Galo’s arm.

“This wound is going to need stitches. Get me a needle and thread. Aina, head for the hospital. Alert the staff that we have Code Blue. Tell them to have blood ready for a transfusion. Galo is AB positive.” Ignis listed off as he shrugged off his jacket and used that to cover Galo’s legs.

“On it! Hang on!” Aina replied.

Lio winced as the ship took off, but held Galo still as Ignis got to work. He wiped off the arm to get a better look at what he was dealing with.

“It’s deep. Really deep.” Ignis said softly and Lio swallowed.

“Is he going to die?” Lio whispered.

“Not if I can help it. I need to know what you saw.” Ignis replied.

“Kray threw him around. He hit his head pretty bad. Kray said something about a knife?” Lio listed off what he could remember.

Ignis struggled to clean the arm and get it closed. He focused on stitching the skin back together, making a tourniquet to get the blood to slow down. Minutes felt like hours as Ignis worked to keep Galo from bleeding out. The harder he worked, the more wounds they found and yet, Galo was silent. He didn’t whimper or moan, he lay absolutely still.

“Preparing to land!” Aina called, making Lio jump a bit.

“Good, keep us steady, Aina.” Ignis replied.

Lio could feel the ship landing and saw the door open. Ignis scooped Galo up and took him over to the waiting bed and hospital staff.

“Kidnapping and torture victim. Several deep lacerations along with deep bruising and possible internal bleeding. Repeated blows to the head as well. Starving and dehydration on top of that.” Ignis listed off.

Lio got up and watched them rush to the elevator, watched as Galo disappeared behind the sterile hospital doors and then, his eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed.

“BOSS!”

Lio woke up some time later, lying in a hospital bed himself with an IV attached to his arm. He swallowed and then coughed with how dry his throat was. Meis, who was snoring in the corner, snorted and woke up, quickly moving to his side. Gueira blinked his eyes open from his chair.

“What… What happened?” Lio asked.

“You passed out. Gave us all a real scare too.” Meis stated.

Gueira nodded.

“Yeah, could have given us some warning, Boss.” Gueira replied.

“I didn’t even know.” Lio admitted, flushing.

“Probably from relief.” Meis said.

They were quiet for a while and finally, Lio sighed.

“Is Galo…?” Lio asked.

The two generals looked at each other.

“He’s still in surgery. The cut was deeper than expected. Plus… other things.” Meis admitted.

“How long was I out for?” Lio asked.

“About an hour. Ignis said to rest though. He doesn’t expect Galo to be out of surgery until tomorrow morning at the very least.” Meis replied.

Lio sat back in his bed before holding out his hand. He imagined a small fire, a spark, something to prove that the Promare were still there. Nothing happened, he heard no giggling whispers or felt the warmth that usually came. He closed his fist and closed his eyes.

_ “Thank you.”  _ he thought, hoping they would somehow hear him.

When he opened his eyes again, he was staring at his two generals and he breathed.

“And Kray?” Lio asked.

“Captured. Varys and Remi stayed behind until the authorities could get there. The Freeze Force was mostly handled and Kray was too injured to fight back.” Meis said with a smirk.

Lio smirked and leaned back against his pillow.

“Hopefully, they are bad enough that he can never use his dick again.” Lio snarled.

Meis and Gueira glanced at each other.

“Do… Do you think he…?” Gueira stuttered and Lio shook his head.

“Seems to me he was waiting for something.” Lio admitted.

The idea made his stomach twist in knots. What had kept Kray from hurting Galo like that? What had he been waiting for? Lio was sure he would never truly know. He doubted Kray would admit to anything and he wasn’t sure he ever wanted the full truth.

“I should get up.” Lio said.

“Boss, maybe it’s best to just wait. I mean, you have half an IV left.” Meis pointed out.

Lio frowned.

“Why is it taking so long?” Lio asked.

Gueira snorted.

“Because they had to use a baby drip on you because your veins are so small.” Gueira snickered.

Lio flushed and glared at him. As they sat there, they talked about everything, but what they had just faced. It seemed so surreal and Lio still needed time to process that Galo was back and he was safe and they had saved him.

The nurse came in and released Lio an hour later. They made sure he didn’t hit his head or anything before letting him leave the room.

“Nurses are so pushy.” Lio grumbled rubbing his neck.

“She was just doing her job, Boss.” Meis stated.

Lio glared at him until they came upon the waiting room. The whole team was there and Lio felt his heart in his throat. He moved over to where Ignis was and sat across from him.

“Anything?” Lio asked quietly.

Ignis just shook his head. Lio sighed and leaned back in his chair. It was so oddly quiet. Like no one wanted to break the silence. Lio was gently reminded that Galo was usually the one who took it upon himself to cheer everyone up. There was a moment where Lio thought Gueira might try to say something to light up the room, but Meis placed a hand on his shoulder and shook his head.

The hours tick by and while Lio didn’t move, his brain did. He was thinking of all the things that could go wrong, will go wrong, now that Galo was back. Galo has been hurt, badly, by Kray. What if he was never the same? What if he couldn’t be a firefighter anymore? What if he decided to leave the city? The ‘what ifs’ are starting to pile up and Lio finds tears running hot and heavy down his face. He didn’t want to believe Galo will be different, that the man he loved could change, but there is a good chance he will and there was nothing Lio can do about it now.

A cloth is handed to him and he looked up to see Remi standing there.

“Galo will be fine.” Remi stated.

“How can you be so sure?” Aina demanded.

There are tears on her face as she rests her head on Varys’ shoulder. Remi sighed.

“Because it’s Galo.” he replied.

“Thank you.” Lio took the cloth and wiped his eyes.

Another hour goes by before the doors open. A doctor comes out with a nurse and they look exhausted.

“Family of Galo Thymos?” the nurse called.

Ignis stood up and walked over. The nurse look baffled.

“Um, I’m sorry, but are you Galo Thymos’ family?” she asked.

The doctor sighed.

“Nurse Joy, please do keep up. I know you are new, but can’t you see the family remblence? Really now.” the doctor said.

Joy flushed and quickly looked down. Ignis coughed.

“I am his boss, Ignis Ex. I’m also his power of attorney.” Ignis replied.

Lio raised an eyebrow, wondering when that happened.

“I see. Follow me then.” the doctor said.

The team followed him to a room and paused outside the door.

“Now, he’s still very tired, so I am only going to let one person in at a time. Keep it short and make sure not to touch anything.” the doctor explained.

Ignis nodded and went in first. He was gone for only a few minutes before he came back out. He was idly wiping the tears from under his glasses.

“Lio.” Aina said, pushing him towards the door.

Lio looked at her and she gave a smile. He nodded and stepped inside. He sucked in a breath. He was sure Galo was hooked up to every machine they had in the place. A feeding tube was even down his throat and Lio choked a bit. Lio moved closer and wished he could touch him, but he remembered the doctor’s orders and held back. It was hard though and finally, Lio had to leave. He stepped outside and Aina went in next.

She came out hysterically sobbing and Lio pulled her into his arms, petting her hair. This was the end of the longest month of his life and the start of the hardest two weeks he had ever been through.

Galo was put in a medically induced coma. The doctors believed it was best until his body could heal and so, Lio made it a point to spend as much time in Galo’s room as he could. Nurse Joy often found him curled up in a chair, talking out loud to Galo as he read different reports and documents, muttered and complaining about the stupidity of people and what he had to put up with to get what his people needed.

“I can’t believe they think we will accept substandard housing! I mean, look at these blueprints! Absolutely ridiculous!” Lio grumbled angrily.

Galo didn’t answer, of course, but it made Lio feel better to talk to someone and not just himself. Joy knocked on the door and smiled at him.

“Visiting hours are over for today.” she said gently.

Sighing, Lio nodded and started to gather his stuff, making sure that everything he needed was where it was meant to be.

“I’ll be back tomorrow.” Lio said as he stood by Galo’s side.

There was a pause and then Lio said screw it. He leaned over and held Galo’s hand, squeezing gently before kissing him on the forehead. He held his lips there, eyes closed, but nothing happened. Disappointment welled in his chest as he straightened back up.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Galo.” Lio whispered.

He squeezed his hand one last time before grabbing his stuff and leaving. By his side, Galo’s hand twitched.

Galo was floating. Wherever he was, he wasn’t entirely sure, but it was nice and warm. He liked it here, liked how he could just float and not worry about what was going on outside. Sometimes, he heard things; voices, beeping noises, things moving, but he didn’t have to worry. Eventually, those sounds would die out and he would be left alone again.

Well, left alone until the flame came. He liked it when the flame came. The first time it had happened, he had been scared, not sure what the flame was, but knowing that fire was bad and he should be scared of fire. The flame, however, just sat there, it flickered and danced all by itself and brought with it a voice that made Galo feel all warm and fuzzy. The voice was soothing and before long, he was curled around the flame, listening to the voice without really understanding what the words meant.

The flame would go away at times and those were the times that Galo felt a little sad. He liked the flame, he wanted the flame to stay. He hoped, maybe next time, the flame would stay for longer.

Lio stood by Ignis’ side and stared at the map before them.

“So, the north section is looking stable. We can probably finish it…” Ignis was cut off by his phone ringing.

“Ignis.” he answered.

“Sir, this is Nurse Joy from the hospital. I am reaching out to you because Galo Thymos is waking up.” Joy said quickly.

Lio’s heart began to pound and he tuned out what Ignis said next. Before long, they were at the hospital.

“I thought you were going to keep him under another week?” Ignis demanded.

The doctor chuckled.

“We were and we did try, but he managed to fight it off. It seems he’s ready to wake up.” the man admitted.

Lio swallowed and looked at Ignis. This was a lot sooner than they were expecting.

“What should we know?” Remi asked, notebook out.

“Well, he is probably going to be disoriented. Give him time and don’t all talk at once.” the doctor explained.

“Maybe it’s best one person go in then?” Lucia was eyeing Lio as she said it and he froze, eyes wide.

He really didn’t have much of a choice in the end. Lucia and Aina all but shoved his ass into the room and then he was standing there, alone. He licked his lips, looking over at Galo’s body and then sighed. He walked over and sat down, taking the time to really look at Galo.

He was healing, most of the cuts and bruises were gone by now. The only marks really left were the ones on his back and the one on his arm. Lio’s eyes dropped to that arm. The doctors had said it was a miracle he had cut that deeply and hadn’t died on the way to the hospital. Between the marks on his back and that one, he should have bled out.

Lio was thankfully Galo had survived. Survived long enough for them to find him. Kray, who was deeply and badly burned, refused to admit what happened in that room, but the video he had taken said it all. Lio had wanted to see it, to know, but Ignis had put his foot down.

_ “You’ve done enough. The authorities will handle it from here.” _ Ignis had said.

Lio had considered pointing out that they had been the ones to lose Kray in the first place, but he held his tongue. Maybe it was best not to know what Kray had done. He sat there for a while, watching the heart monitor and other machines, thankful they had decided to remove the feeding tube before he woke up. Heaven knows how Galo would have reacted.

Galo was waking up, he could see it in the change in his vitals. Lio sat there, letting Galo wake up naturally. Eventually, his eyes fluttered open and Lio was gifted with the sight of those blue eyes after so long. Galo stared at him and Lio coughed to choke back the tears gathering in his throat.

“Hey there.” Lio muttered.

Galo smiled and it was dazed, confused and sleepy. Lio could almost believe it was just them, waking up in their apartment, that nothing at all bad had happened, but the beeping of the heart monitor broke him out of that. For a while Galo just stared at him and then slowly his eyes started to drift around. He seemed confused and then his eyes landed on the bandage on his arm.

“Galo?” Lio called.

He saw the emotions flash on Galo’s face: confusion, fear, shock and finally, shame. He glanced at Lio and then turned his head away, shuddering. Lio swallowed, wondering what was wrong, but figured it was best to leave it alone for a moment. Galo clearly needed time to process.

“If you need anything, let me know. You’ve been unconscious for a while.” Lio said gently.

Galo shook his head, but wouldn’t look at Lio and his heart started to pound. Was Galo upset with him? Angry with him? Lio looked at the floor and swallowed.

“I missed you. So, so much. I couldn’t sleep, couldn’t eat, if not for Gueira and Meis, well…” Lio trailed off when Galo let out a pained sound.

“I’m sorry.” Galo whispered.

“Don’t you dare say you are sorry! If anyone should apologize, it’s that piece of human waste, Kray!” Lio snarled.

He saw Galo’s heart jump on the monitor and forced himself to calm down. He let out a long breath and reached out, taking Galo’s hand in his, gently squeezing.

“I’m just happy we found you.” Lio stated.

Galo let out another pained sound and Lio watched as his eyes watered.

“I was so weak.” Galo whispered and it was like a dagger to his heart.

“W-What?” Lio stuttered.

Galo pulled his hand away and wiped his eyes. It killed Lio to see tears in them.

“I was so weak. I tried, I tried so hard, but I couldn’t...” Galo whimpered.

Galo’s body shook with his sobs. He sounded so broken and upset. Lio tried to take his hand again, but Galo pulled away even more.

“Galo, it’s ok.” Lio said, but Galo shook his head.

“It’s not! He… he…” Galo hiccuped, unable to continue.

Lio swallowed and looked down at his hands, clenching them together to keep from shaking.

“Galo, I don’t know what you expect me to say. What Kray did… what he tried to do was unbelievably cruel, but you survived. You survived and you are alive and I am so, so proud of you.” Lio stated.

Galo sniffled and looked at him, eyes desperate.

“Y-You’re not disgusted by me? I… I let him touch me.” Galo whispered.

Lio grit his teeth.

“You did what you had to in order to survive. You did what you had to in order to keep him from killing you.” Lio stressed.

Galo didn’t seem at all convinced. Lio let out a sharp breath and closed his eyes.

“When I first became a Burnish, I joined up with another gang. They were burnish who used their fire to hurt and intimidate people. I was young and scared, I figured staying with them was the only way of staying alive. The leader took a liking to me.” Lio paused, swallowing.

“He got drunk one night and attacked me. If my powers hadn’t been stronger than his, he probably would have raped me. That was the first and last time I ever killed someone with my flames.” Lio finished.

Galo was staring at him, wide eyed and Lio let out a small smile.

“When you are in that moment, when you are in that situation, you don’t know what you would do. I had a chance to fight, I had the ability to fight back, Kray took your’s away. He made it impossible to fight back and he knew that. You should know that too.” Lio explained.

Galo looked down at his wrist and seemed to stare. Lio reached out a hand slowly, allowing Galo time to move away if he wanted. When he didn’t, Lio placed a hand on his arm and rubbed gently with his thumb.

“I am so, so proud of you. So proud of you for still being here.” Lio whispered.

Galo looked at him.

“I wanted to die.” Galo whispered and Lio’s eyes welt up with tears.

They had thought the mark was from Kray and that’s what Lio had let them believe, but Kray himself had said Galo had done it to himself and that burned Lio.

“But you’re here and you’re safe. I can promise you that.” Lio replied.

Galo nodded and he wasn’t completely convinced, but Lio would make it a point to wake up every day and convince him of that with his words and actions.

The team took their time to go in and see him one by one after Lio was done. Lio made sure to tell everyone to try and keep Galo’s spirits up before letting them inside. Ignis pulled him to the side and Lio sighed deeply.

“How is he?” Ignis asked.

Lio frowned.

“Hurting. He’s upset. I think he believes he’s a lesser man because of what Kray did.” Lio admitted.

Ignis nodded.

“I suspected as much. We will just have to let him know we are here for him.” Ignis said.

The door opened and Remi stepped out. He nodded to Ignis and Ignis straightened up.

“I’ll be back.” Ignis nodded to Lio and went inside.

Ignis stood by the door, staring at his firefighter with a heavy heart. He saw the same fear and worry that he saw in a lot of people he had rescued over the years. Trauma wasn’t something you just moved on from. It changed you as a person. He just hoped it didn’t destroy the kind, gentle man he knew.

“Ignis.” Galo said saluting.

“Enough of that crap. If you pull something out, the doctor is gonna have my ass over it.” Ignis stated as he sat down.

Galo nodded and picked at the blanket on his lap.

“Thank you. For finding me, I mean.” Galo said and Ignis snorted.

“Like I would leave one of my best men in the hands of that psycho. I’m only mad I didn’t get to knock his lights out myself.” Ignis stated.

Galo nodded absently.

“Kray’s charges were upgraded to include kidnapping of a city official, another case of human torture and attempting to buy firearms illegally. He’s going away for life if they don’t fry him first.” Ignis explained.

Galo flinched and Ignis was glad to know he still didn’t care for the death penalty.

“And Vulcan?” Galo asked.

“Well, after the doctors stitch his face back together, I’m sure he’ll be hit with the same charges.” Ignis shrugged.

Galo looked at him funny.

“His face?” Galo asked.

Ignis paused.

“Lio didn’t tell you how we found you?” Ignis asked.

Galo shook his head.

“We tracked down Vulcan using some old-fashioned detective work. After that, Lio beat the shit out of him until he told us what we wanted to know.” Ignis stated.

“Lio did…?” Galo muttered.

“Of course. I’m sure Vulcan can still taste Lio’s knuckles on his tongue.” Ignis replied.

Galo flushed a bit and smiled. Ignis hummed and sat back in the chair.

“As for Kray, well, I can’t say I agree or even understand what Lio did, but I can’t say I’m upset about it either. I always hated that pretty boy look.” Ignis grumbled.

“Is he… really badly burned?” Galo asked.

“Third degree burns across his chest, stomach and pelvis. Second degree most everywhere else.” Ignis replied.

Galo’s eyes were wide.

“And he’s still alive?” Galo whispered.

“Somehow.” Ignis shrugged.

Galo nodded and looked down at his hands. He seemed quiet for a while before he opened his mouth. Ignis knew what he was going to say before he said it.

“Don’t. I won’t accept your resignation.” Ignis said sternly.

Galo blinked.

“But… I can’t be a firefighter like this.” Galo said.

Ignis hummed and crossed his arms.

“When I was a boy, my uncle used to come around all the time. He was an older man, never married, and I was his favorite out of my six brothers. I was so proud of that until I turned 11. That was the first time he touched me. It went on for two years before I got up the courage to tell someone. Even now, when I think about it, I wonder why I let it happen. Why I let it go on for as long as I did. Even to this every day, I have those thoughts.” Ignis stated.

Galo’s eyes got wide with shock, his mouth dropped.

“Now, do you believe I don’t deserve to be the chief because of what happened to me?” Ignis asked.

“What! No! You were a kid!” Galo gasped.

“And you are too. You forget something here, Galo. You are only 22. You’ve been through hell these last few years. But you are still a rookie, got it? Some snot nosed brat we all put up with.” Ignis said calmly.

Galo nodded along and smiled. It was small and sad, but Ignis was happy to see it.

“Thanks, chief.” Galo whispered.

“Good, now get some rest. You are on bedrest until those doctors tell you to get the hell out and not a second before, got it?” Ignis demanded standing up.

Galo saluted and Ignis nodded as he left.

Galo was exhausted. His whole team plus the burnish had come in to see him and while it shouldn’t have zapped his energy like it did, Galo felt a bone deep exhaustion he couldn’t quite explain. The doctor, after everyone had stopped by to see him, had explained about the medically induced coma and why they thought it was best for him at the time. That he would feel out of sorts for a little while and it was normal. Admittedly, all Galo could do was agree with them and hope it wore off soon. After all, he wasn’t sure how he would have handled waking up in the hospital, still in pain.

They said he was lucky. That he should have died between the concussion he had, the blood he had lost, the starvation and dehydration. All of it should have killed him, but he survived. Aina had commented that it must have been his burning soul, but for once, he wasn’t so sure. He thought maybe it was desperation.

Galo remembered the fear, the desperate, heart stopping fear of dying alone and forgotten under Kray’s control. The fear he had that Kray would kill him and no one would ever bring him home. It was that desperation that had kept him alive until he had finally cracked.

Galo leaned back against his pillows and closed his eyes. The marks on his back would heal, fade away to faint scars according to the doctors. The one on his arm, however? They said it would probably scar deeply. It would probably never fade. A reminder of his failure every time he looked down. Maybe Lucia could make him another sleeve? He wasn’t sure if covering it up was a good idea or not.

His original sleeve was for others, for covering up his scars so his team didn’t feel bad about what happened that day. Was it selfish of him to want one to cover up a scar because he didn’t like looking at it? He felt like it was. He glanced at it again and felt a twist in his stomach. He remembered the feeling of absolute despair and insanity. He had never really considered what ending his life meant at that moment in time. He had just wanted the pain to stop.

His eyes started to drift closed and he fell into a light sleep. Unfortunately for him, his sleep was anything, but pleasant. He woke up some time later, heart pounding so hard the nurses rushed in to see if he was ok. He couldn’t stop the tears that rolled hot and heavy down his face, couldn’t stop the whimpering cries that escaped him. Even thought Kray was gone, his actions would have lasting consequences.

Galo was in the hospital for another two months. Every day, someone came to see him, mostly Lio, to keep his spirits up while he was recovering, while he was working through getting back to normal. Galo, of course, had tried to return to his old ways. He had tried to go back to the bright man they all knew, but everyone could see the cracks. Sometimes, little things would set Galo off. A door slamming in the hallway would make him jump, eyes wide with fright as if waiting for someone to come bursting in. Someone touching him without warning him first would make him flinch, shrink back as if burned. Even words seemed to cause volatile reactions.

Galo flinched when people said his name. It was a little thing, but the fact that his own name caused a reaction was heartbreaking. When Lio had asked about it, Galo had flushed.

“Whenever Kray wanted me to answer, he would call me by my name. I don’t know why.” Galo muttered embarrassed.

Lio had a pretty good idea of why, but kept it to himself. Slowly, Galo’s strength came back and he returned to his normal, healthy weight before doctors were ready to release him. Lio bought him clothes from home, a simple pair of sleep pants and a sweater that Galo put on gratefully. Aina flew them home, Galo admitting he didn’t really want to be driven in a car right now. When they got home, Galo waited until Lio opened the door, his keys lost in the fight with Kray.

“Welcome home.” Lio said gently and Galo smiled.

The apartment looked the same as he remembered it. The exact same as when he left it and there was a sudden realization that Lio had done that on purpose. He let out a low sigh.

“Happy to be home.” Galo whispered.

Had he ever really taken the time to look around his apartment? He stared at the pictures on the walls, the second hand couch with the pizza stain on it, the bean bag chairs on the floor. So many little things he never knew he was grateful for.

“I had to clean out the fridge. Or well, Remi did. Everything was expired. We need to restock, but Aina said she would grab some food for us tonight.” Lio said gently.

He rubbed his arms, not sure what to do. Galo was home, he should feel happy, but he wasn’t. Galo was looking around the apartment like it was his first time seeing it. He remembered that same look on his own face the first day Galo had invited him home.

“Thanks.” Galo muttered.

He stopped by a small cactus he had on the windowsill and stared. Lio had made sure to take care of it.

“No problem. I didn’t want you to come home to no food and a smelly fridge.” Lio explained.

They were quiet as Galo stared out the window, his eyes lost. He had really touched anything since they had walked in and he wondered if there was a reason.

“I suppose you're probably tired. I changed the sheets on the bed, so it’s all ready for you.” Lio stated.

Galo glanced at him and Lio smiled.

“I’ll be at the station if…” Lio was cut off.

“No!” Galo said quickly.

Lio paused, staring at him and Galo flushed.

“Ca-Can you stay? I don’t want to be alone.” Galo rubbed the back of his neck and Lio nodded.

“I’m sure Gueira, Meis and Ignis can handle it.” Lio said.

Galo nodded and Lio followed him to the bedroom. There, Galo seemed unsure of what to do, so Lio just crawled onto the bed and held out his arms. That seemed to be the right thing to do because Galo immediately crawled into his arms and rested his head on Lio’s chest. Lio’s hand went to his hair and for a moment, Galo went completely still and Lio stopped. Galo eventually melted against him and let out a sigh as Lio started to pet his hair.

They laid there, Galo’s eyes closed, but not sleeping and Lio just petting his head and enjoying the feeling of Galo in his arms again.

Lio shuddered as he ran a hand through his hair. He hadn’t really left the apartment the last few days, Galo was needy and clingy, looking for comfort from Lio in the form of constant affection. Personally, Lio didn’t mind, but as the ambassador of the former burnish, he couldn’t just disappear off the face of the planet. There were still laws to work on and housing to build and people to argue with. Normally, he would just do it over the phone, but today, they actually needed him to come to city hall and talk.

He had showered and put on clean clothes, was taking the time to do his hair when he heard a thud. Heart pounding, he raced to the bedroom, but found nothing. Frowning, he moved to the living room/kitchen and found Galo standing in front of the TV, the remote on the floor.

“Kray Foresight was found dead in his jail cell after 11pm last night.” The TV finally caught his attention and Lio’s heart dropped.

What? Kray was…? Lio stormed over to the TV and stared as the reporter talked. Behind her, he could see a body on a gurney, moving out of the building behind them and into an ambulance. Lio’s body began to shake, eyes narrowing in rage as his phone rang.

“What the hell is going on!” Lio hissed.

“Calm down and let me tell you.” Ignis demanded.

Lio put the phone on speaker and Ignis let out a breath.

“According to what I found out, Kray hung himself last night. No one knows where the rope came from, but we are assuming he reached out to someone to get it.” Ignis stated.

Lio stared at the phone, mind blank. Kray was dead. Kray was gone. He would never answer for any of his sins or misdeeds. He would never stand trial, never have to answer their questions, never have to explain himself. Kray had taken the easy way out and Lio was livid.

“That spineless, miserable coward!” Lio snarled.

“Enough, Lio. Now it not the time for that. The meeting is cancelled until further notice and until we can figure out how he got that rope.” Ignis explained.

They spoke for a little while more before Lio hung up and then he turned his attention to the man who had been quiet the whole time. Galo stared blankly at the phone, eyes dark. Lio swallowed a bit and placed a hand on his arm.

“Galo?” Lio called.

“He’s gone…” Galo muttered.

“Yes… he is.” Lio admitted.

Galo let out a low slow breath.

“I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. I don’t know whether I want to jump for joy or sob.” Galo admitted.

Lio licked his lips.

“I think you have a right to do whatever makes you feel better.” Lio said.

“What I want is Kray to pay for his crimes. What I want is for him to have to answer for what he did! What I want is for him to live with the scars like I now have to!” Galo roared.

For the first time, Lio saw rage in Galo. Even before Kray kidnapped him, Galo had never really gotten angry. Oh sure, he had gotten upset, combative, annoyed, but never truly angry like he was right now. Right now, Galo was livid. He grabbed the remote and threw it so hard, it didn’t just break, it shattered against the wall.

Lio saw Galo’s hand clench and unclench, looking as if he might start throwing fists. Lio moved his hand down and pressed his hand into Galo’s. He tensed for a second before curling his hand around Lio’s. Galo let out a breath and then looked at Lio, his eyes swimming.

“It feels like a part of my life just ended.” Galo whispered.

Lio reached up and cupped his face.

“That’s because it did. He was a big part of your past, but now, he left room for other people to be a part of your future.” Lio said gently.

Galo swallowed and nodded as he pulled Lio close. He hugged Lio tightly, closing his eyes as he shuddered.

“It’s ok now, Galo. He’s gone. You’re safe.” Lio whispered rubbing his back.

Galo buried his face in Lio’s neck and cried, trembling harsh sobs that made Lio sigh.

They were laying in bed, changed into comfy clothes when Galo spoke.

“He wanted me to beg.” Galo said, his voice cracking.

Lio made a confused noise in the back of his throat, hands curling in Galo’s hair.

“Kray… I heard you talking to Ignis. You guys didn’t understand why he didn’t… he wanted me to beg for it.” Galo muttered.

Lio’s body went rigid against Galo before softening again.

“I see.” Lio muttered, though his tone was angry.

“He said it would be sweeter when I finally gave in. He had these… rules he kept going on about.” Galo mumbled.

He curled up a bit tighter and Lio reached out to pull the blankets closer around him, tucking them in so he wouldn’t feel the cold as much. He doubted it did anything for the cold in Galo’s soul.

“He was sick, Galo.” Lio muttered.

Galo shifted slightly and nuzzled his cheek against Lio’s throat, kissing it softly.

“Would you fuck me?” Galo asked.

Lio blinked, eyes wide as Galo looked up at him.

“What?” Lio demanded.

Galo pulled him closer.

“If I wanted you to fuck me, would you?” Galo asked.

Lio’s mouth went dry and he coughed.

“Are you sure?” Lio asked.

Galo looked down and pressed against him.

“It’s not like I haven’t thought about it, but we’ve been busy. I never knew how to ask, never knew when it was the right time.” Galo said.

“And you think now is? Galo, I’m not sure that’s a good idea.” Lio said softly.

Galo breathed deeply. He seemed hurt, but desperate.

“I can still feel him. His hands, his kisses, his… cock. I feel dirty, vile. I don’t want to feel that way anymore.” Galo mumbled.

“But Galo, sex is not going to make that better. Rushing into it just because you want to switch those things out for something else will only hurt you later.” Lio said.

He pressed a kiss to Galo’s hair and held him.

“Give yourself time. Let yourself heal. Let yourself feel normal again and then we'll talk, ok? I don’t want to hurt you.” Lio begged.

Galo paused and then nodded, kissing his throat again.

“Thank you, Lio.”

Lio looked up when Ignis came over to his desk. The man leaned against it with his hip, arms crossed.

“They figured out who did it. An adviser that no one knew was in Kray’s pocket snuck it to him. He’s going to be charged with assisting a felon.” Ignis explained.

Lio nodded and glanced at Galo, standing around with the rest of Burning Rescue. Galo laughed at something Lucia said, his arms, both covered in sleeves, behind his head.

“He’s doing better.” Ignis stated and Lio nodded.

“It’s gonna take time, but I know he’ll figure it out.” Lio stated.

He glanced at Ignis when Ignis didn’t move.

“Something on your mind?” Lio asked.

“We found some of Galo’s belongings in the basement after everything was cleaned out. I wasn’t sure how to give them to him. But I figured he would want this back.” Ignis pulled something out of his pocket and handed it to Lio.

Lio’s eyes got wide and then he smiled softly. It was the picture, Galo’s good luck charm.

“I’m sure he’ll be happy to see it.” Lio stated.

Ignis raised an eyebrow at him and then looked at Galo. Lio got the message and got up before walking over. Ignis watched Lio tapped Galo on the shoulder to get his attention. When Lio presented the picture to him, Galo’s smile, that thousand watt smile spread across his face like fire and he hugged Lio tightly, lifting him up and spinning him around with delight. Ignis just shook his head. Sometimes, it was the little things that soothed the soul.


End file.
